Sweet, Sweet Melody
by JessieJay13
Summary: Hermione has a secret:a hidden talent. She comes across Malfoy's secret, and blackmail ensues. The blackmail is voided when Hogwarts introduces a new class. Another of Malfoy's secrets comes into the open. Better than it sounds! OVER 9000 READS!
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

Hermione rolled over and then moaned when the bright sunlight streaming through the gap in her curtains hit her square in the face. She mumbled something inaudibly and pulled the covers up over her head. Then, the excitement began to set her in motion. Today was the day she went back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for her seventh and final year. She had been made Head Girl but she had no idea who the Head Boy was yet.

Hermione jumped out of bed, stretched and headed off to take a shower. She came out after freshening up and chose something that flattered her figure. She opted for a short, navy-blue A-line skirt and a white, cashmere, off-the-shoulder sweater. She topped it off with clunky white heels and a white Hawaiian flower in her hair. She sprinted downstairs and, kissing her mother on the cheek as she passed, flopped down at the table and pulled a plate of pancakes toward her. She shoveled them into her mouth, talking all the time.

'Mom, we have to get to Kings Cross early,' she said thickly through a mouthful of pancakes. 'You know that I have to make a good impression. I need to be prompt and ready and eager and…'

'Honey!' Mrs. Granger said loudly, cutting off her daughter. 'Take it easy. You haven't even gotten to school yet and your responsibilities don't start until you do.' Hermione nodded and kept shoving the pancakes into her already full mouth in her haste.

When she was done, Hermione dragged her trunk out to the car and got in. Her mother had to endure her almost constant babbling about her duties and all the privileges that she got as Head Girl all the way to Kings Cross Train Station and she was very incensed by the time they got there.

As soon as Hermione got to Kings Cross Station, she began searching for her two best friends of six years, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. It didn't take long for her to find them considering it was very difficult to miss Ron's mop of flame-colored hair. She ran to them and through her arms around them, pulling them both into a bone-crushing hug.

'Hermione,' Harry gasped. 'Hermione, we can't breathe!' Hermione let go and beamed at them both. They had filled out considerably over the summer. Ron had gone from being a tall, lanky boy to being a tall, not-so-lanky man. Quidditch had really done wonders for him. Harry, too, had changed noticeably. He had gone from being a small, skinny boy to being a tall, muscled man. All those years as Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team had given him lean, rippling muscles. They were both beaming at her.

'We missed you, too, Hermione,' Ron chuckled. His voice had gotten a tad lower.

'How was your summer?' Harry asked, his voice perceptibly lower as well, his beautiful emerald green eyes sparkling at the sight of her so happy. Hermione squealed with delight.

'Oh, it was wonderful!' she said enthusiastically. 'It was just me and my mum because my dad was off to a dentist's convention in Switzerland. We had so much fun! We got to do all the girly things that we never got to do when dad was there. Oh, it was pure bliss!' Hermione twirled around, her arms spread out and her face upturned. The boys sniggered quietly at her and she shot them a childish look and stuck out her tongue at them, her hands on her hips.

'Miss Granger, you look particularly lovely today,' said Harry in a mock prissy voice, holding his hand out to her gallantly.

'Why, thank you, Mr. Potter,' Hermione said in the same snooty voice, taking his hand. He twirled her in and then out again and Hermione giggled. All the while, Ron was laughing raucously at their antics and people were beginning to stare. Hermione kissed her mother goodbye and boarded the train with Harry and Ron, a huge grin plastered across her face. She was finally going back to Hogwarts.

The trio walked down the corridor talking about their summers and looking for an empty compartment. They found one about halfway down the train that contained only two people; Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood were holding hands and talking all mushy together. Or at least it look like it because when they entered, they let go of the other's hand and scooted a little further away on the seat.

Harry and Ron snorted with suppressed laughter as they sat down across from the new couple, shooting knowing looks at Neville, and Luna blushed scarlet. Hermione was about to sit down when she realized that she was late.

'Oh no,' Hermione said anxiously. 'I'm late! I'm supposed to be in the Heads' compartment right now to meet the new Head Boy. As long as he's not a total jerk, I'll be fine with him.' Harry nodded and Ron gave her a tentative thumbs-up. Neville and Luna wished her good luck and she turned to go back up the train.

'_Okay,'_ Hermione thought nervously. _'As long as it's not someone like _him_, or anything! But considering the events of last year, it couldn't be him. It just couldn't be. I wonder who else they could choose?'_ Hermione pushed opened the door to the Heads' compartment just to see…

'Malfoy?!' Hermione gaped at the platinum blonde Slytherin boy across from her. He had one foot up on the seat next to him, resting his elbow on his knee, and the other dangling, his back up against the wall.

'Glad you could make it, Granger,' he said in a falsely cheery voice, waving merrily at her. 'Well, not glad, really but more of a mild disappointment and depression but that's beside the point,' he said, gesturing to the seat opposite him. Hermione sank into it, still staring disbelievingly at Malfoy.

At that moment, Headmistress McGonagall strode into the compartment brusquely. She turned to them and they faced her respectfully.

'You are the new Head Boy and Girl of Hogwarts, Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy,' she said curtly. 'You two will now be entitled to more privilege and more responsibilities than any other. You will be in charge of all school events and the dates of the Hogsmeade trips. You will have the ability to hand out detentions and take points if need be. But, there is something I didn't mention in your letters,' she added, looking nervously at them both.

'You two…you two will have to share a common room, bathroom and dormitory,' she said in a rush, closing her eyes and waiting for the explosion. McGonagall opened one eye slightly. Hermione was gaping soundlessly at her, too appalled to speak. Malfoy was staring at her as though she had sprouted a second head. She opened her eyes again and sighed heavily.

'It is required that the Heads share a dormitory to set an example of interhouse unity,' she explained, obviously annoyed at the reactions of the supposedly mature seventh years before her. 'If people see you two living together in one dormitory without fighting, hopefully they will be able to live in the castle together without hurting one another.' Hermione and Malfoy exchanged doubtful looks. McGonagall turned without another word and walked hastily out of the compartment. Hermione stared at Malfoy and he stared back, that annoying smirk on his face.

'You, a slimy evil git, are Head Boy?!' she said with revulsion. Malfoy nodded and spoke again.

'Manners, manners, Granger,' he said with the air of reprimanding a small child. 'You must learn to respect your superiors.' Hermione stood up quite suddenly, cutting him off mid-insult.

'You,' Hermione shouted, pointing a finger at his chest. 'are _not_ my superior! You aren't superior to a slug much less another human! How they decided to put a git, who nearly killed Dumbledore last year, in charge of the school as Head Boy I'll never know! I, personally, do not approve of putting a Death-Eater in a position of power here…' Hermione rambled, taking a step closer to Malfoy. This time it was her turn to be interrupted. Malfoy stood up so suddenly that she let out a squeal and took a few steps back.

'You think I chose to do that?' Malfoy snarled. 'You think I want to be a Death-Eater? To live a life of fear with my father hovering over me, forcing me to do things that I never wanted to do in the first place? Having the most evil wizard of all time telling you to kill people and then act as though nothing happened? That it was fun? I never wanted that. It wasn't my fault!' Malfoy roared, his face barely an inch from hers. His thick six foot one build towered over Hermione's petite five foot six and she was now trembling and backing away from the now very frightening Malfoy.

It took a moment, but soon Malfoy seemed to return to his senses. A look of what seemed like fear flitted across his face. He turned and sprinted out of the Heads' compartment and out of sight down the corridor. Hermione stood there, very shaken, for a moment. Then she turned and walked out of the compartment as well and went to find Harry and Ron. They were just where she had left them, but they had been joined by Ginny and Terry Boot, a Ravenclaw boy in Ginny's year. They seemed to be deep in discussion about the way Neville and Luna had gotten together.

'Hey guys,' Hermione said happily, her mind back on her friends and off of Malfoy's strange behavior. They all crowded around her, begging to know who the new Head Boy was. Hermione glanced around at all their smiling faces and she couldn't bring herself to ruin the good spirits. She contented herself with shrugging casually.

'They wouldn't tell me,' Hermione lied, quickly. Surprisingly, considering Hermione was a horrible liar, no one caught the lie and they all sat down, looking mildly disappointed but continued their conversations anyway. Hermione was deep in thought but was pulled out by Malfoy sticking his head into their compartment.

'Granger,' he said, his voice full of loathing. 'You're supposed to be doing your rounds.' Hermione jumped up and brushed past Malfoy, trying to start her patrol the least late that she could. Malfoy smirked and disappeared down the corridor in the opposite direction.

Hermione's rounds didn't take long. Unlike the previous two years, the students seemed to be behaving fairly well. The only trouble was a fourth year near the front of the train that had been handing out 'Bailey's Brain Booster Elixir' that had turned out to be dried doxy droppings again. Hermione was on her way back to her compartment, when she heard a faint sob that caught her attention. She crept closer to the nearest door, trying to discern the words among the other sounds. She stood on tiptoe to look cautiously into the small window set into the top of the door. What she saw made her freeze, transfixed and mesmerized by the foreign scene before her.

Draco Malfoy was sitting alone in the compartment, his head in his hands and his elbows resting on his knees. His shoulders were shuddering with suppressed sobs but some were escaping his lips anyway. He was muttering under his breath but Hermione's ears seemed to be picking up every sound.

'_It wasn't my choice,' _Hermione heard him whisper, his voice trembling slightly. _'I never wanted this. Why can't she see that? It was all his doing. He made me do it all. It…it wasn't my fault,'_ Hermione's heart felt for him. She just wanted to comfort him, hold him and tell him everything would be alright but something, probably her common sense, held her back. She continued to watch him for a moment with a sort of morbid fascination; she couldn't believe that Malfoy, the cold heartless boy she had known for six years, was crying in such a public place, and muttering about how something wasn't his fault.

Suddenly, Hermione's insides went cold. Malfoy must have heard something as his head shot up and his cold, blue-gray eyes bored into her warm, cinnamon brown ones. Hermione suddenly came to her senses and turned quickly, sprinting as fast as her legs could carry her, until she was outside the door of the compartment she had left all the others in. She glanced back along the corridor but Malfoy was no where to be seen. She yanked open the door and hurried inside, closing it behind her with a snap, out of breath and flushed.

The others stared at her for a moment, wondering why she would look as if she had just run a marathon. Hermione glanced around the room awkwardly and then smiled, giving a small chuckle. Harry put a hand on her arm.

'Hermione?' he began concernedly. 'What's up? You look like you've seen a ghost…or something else that we don't see every day' he chuckled, trying to hide the uncertainty in his voice. Hermione removed his hand and leaned against the door, still smiling though her eyes were casting around nervously.

'Oh, no, of course not, Harry,' she said in what she though was a reassuring voice. Harry looked unconvinced. 'I just…wanted to get back,' she lied quickly. Everyone in the compartment knew immediately that something had happened; Hermione was a horrible liar.

'Hermione,' Ron said, frustrated, standing up and taking a step toward her. 'you couldn't lie your way out of a wet paper bag. We all know that something happened. Just tell us what it is that's got you all wound up.' Hermione shook her head, looking more flustered all the time. She couldn't tell them. Then they would go and make fun of Malfoy and he would know for sure that she had seen him.

'No, Ron,' she said condescendingly. 'Listen to my words. Nothing - happened - seriously - get - it - through - your - thick - head,' she said very slowly, as if talking to a small child with a learning disability. Ron's ears flushed and he sat down looking offended. Hermione felt a little bad but she had to get them to leave her alone.

'C'mon, 'Mione,' Ginny whined, pulling Hermione into the seat in between her and Luna. 'You can tell us anything and you know that. Well, you can tell _us_ anyways,' she said jokingly, stealing a look at Harry, Ron and Neville, who looked insulted. Hermione giggled slightly. Everyone stared at her and she began to get uncomfortable, her eyes darting around wildly as if trying to find an escape. When none came, she finally let out a loud groan.

'Oh, fine!' she sighed, crossing her arms and biting her lip. 'I saw something in one of the compartments and it's left me a bit…shaken,' she said vaguely. Ginny gestured for her to elaborate so she sighed and went on. 'It was…oh, it was Malfoy! He was doing something most unlike himself,' she said wearily. The others stared at her blankly. 'He was _crying_! He was crying alone in a compartment down the hall and muttering about how it wasn't his choice and that 'he' made him do it but I couldn't make heads or tails of it,' she admitted. The others gaped at her. Then, suddenly, Harry and Ron burst out laughing.

'Malfoy?!' Harry asked, incredulously, holding his sides from laughing so hard. Ron seemed incapable of speech; he was rolling around on the floor, tears in his eyes. 'That's bloody hilarious!'

The girls shot them scathing looks and Neville's face remained impassive. Harry stopped laughing and looked thoroughly ashamed of himself while Ron, however, continued to howl with laughter. Hermione rolled her eyes and stood up, reaching high into the luggage compartment in search of something. She rummaged around for a moment before pulling out a long, thin leather case.

'Ooh,' Ginny said curiously. 'What's that, Hermione?' She looked shifty again and answered in a voice that was slightly higher than usual.

'Oh, it's nothing…nothing,' she said before hurrying from the compartment. She clutched the case protectively to her chest as she ran, as though trying to hide it from view, and rushed to the Heads' compartment and locked the door behind her. She sat down on the seat and, looking around to make sure that no one could see her, unzipped the leather case.

Hermione lifted the long, slender thing out of the case and placed her fingers in their respective positions, relishing the feel of the smooth, cool metal under her fingers. She lifted it to her lips and blew. Out came a pure, sweet tone that seemed to shiver in the crisp air. Hermione relaxed visibly, her eyes closed and an uplifted expression on her face. This was what she lived for, what had kept her sane through all the pressure and tests; her flute.

Hermione blew into the flute again and began to play a haunting melody that carried through the air and seemed to penetrate her to the core, making her feel renewed and refreshed. Hermione played for as long as she could without breaking the note off for a breath. It wasn't a real song, I guess, but more of just a melody. Some notes and rhythms strung together, that was all, but it made Hermione feel wonderful, like the world had been lifted off her shoulders. She neither knew, nor cared, that someone was listening at the door.

Malfoy slid the compartment door closed as softly as he could. He made his way shakily to the seat, sat down and put his head in his hands, leaning on his knees.

'_How could I have let her get to me? That little muggle-born…no, no, mudblood. I can't keep thinking like this or I'm definitely going to get it.' _Malfoy felt the familiar stinging pressure in the corners of his eyes. _'No,'_ he thought desperately. _'I can't do this here. Not now. I am a Malfoy and Malfoys don't cry. They just don't. At least not in public. I have an image to keep up.'_ But he couldn't stop the tears from falling. Soon his body was racked with sobs, his shoulders heaving and tears falling between his fingers.

'It wasn't my choice,' Malfoy whispered, unable to keep the quiver out of his voice. 'I never wanted this. Why can't she see that? It was all his doing. He made me do it all. It…it wasn't my fault.'

He heard a faint squeak come from the vicinity of the door. He froze. _'Just perfect,'_ he thought bitterly. _'The one time I let my guard down, someone has to see me!'_ He looked up and his eyes locked with a pair of cinnamon colored ones. With a jolt of horror, he realized who those eyes belonged to; Hermione Granger had seen him.

He stood up abruptly and swung the door open just in time to see the hem of her robes whip around the corner. He swore under his breath and followed after her, pausing at the corner until he heard the unmistakable sound of the door snapping shut behind her. He sat down and waited. She had to come out sometime and then, calmly, he would consult her and let her know that if she let that slip to anyone, she would have hell to pay!

It was about ten minutes later that Malfoy was interrupted from his thoughts by Hermione rushing out of the compartment clutching something to her chest. It looked like a black leather case, long and thin with a silver zipper along one side. He was about to call to her when he was permeated by curiosity. He had to know what was in that case.

Malfoy followed a good ways behind her so that she wouldn't see him. She ducked into the Heads' compartment. To his disappointment, he heard her lock the door behind her. Now he would never know what was in that mysterious black leather case. He sat down by the door, intending to wait until she came out to talk to her about what she had seen when he heard something.

Malfoy heard a note that sent shivers down his spine. The note flowed into more notes and a beautiful song was spun upon the still air. Where was that wonderful music coming from and what was making it? Then it dawned on Malfoy. He had heard that sound before but never so magnificently. The sound was that of a flute. He stood and pressed his ear on the door, all the better to hear. The music was indeed coming from the Heads' compartment.

'_Hermione Granger plays the flute?!' _Malfoy thought in disbelief. _'Really well, too. I've never heard it played this superbly!'_ Malfoy shook himself. He shouldn't have thought that. Granger was just another mudblood no matter how well she played the flute. It was a girly instrument anyway. Not anything proud like the saxophone…


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

By the time Hermione had stopped playing, she was out of breath but the happiest she had been away from home in years. She had always played, and, loved, the flute but, on her first day, she knew that she would have no opportunity to play it around Hogwarts what with having to share a dormitory with other girls. She had thought they would laugh at her.

Hermione stroked the flute lovingly and, reluctant to stop playing, placed it tenderly back into its leather case. She zipped it up and sat for a moment, cherishing the lovely music still ringing inside her, exhilarating her. Grudgingly, she stood and made her way quietly to the door. She attempted to push it open but found resistance. She pushed a little harder and stuck her head through the gap.

One Draco Malfoy was leaning against the door, obviously trying to keep her from seeing him. Malfoy looked around shiftily for a moment and then he smiled at her awkwardly. Furiously, Hermione realized that he had been listening at the door the whole time. She felt herself flush and she shoved the door open so violently that Malfoy was thrown backward a couple of feet. He gaped at her, flat against the wall, looking shocked at her reaction just as much as being caught.

'Now, you listen to me, you sneaky ferret,' Hermione hissed, standing very close to Malfoy, her finger in his face. 'If you tell anyone, and I mean _anyone_…I will hunt you down and jinx you into oblivion. Got it?' she asked ominously. Malfoy nodded, apparently shaken at her very strong response. He pushed her finger out of his face and she backed up a few paces, fuming.

'Okay, Granger,' he said sneeringly. 'This is the deal; I won't tell your secret if you won't tell mine.' Hermione looked very unconcerned at this.

'Too late, Malfoy, I've already told Harry, Ron, Neville, Luna and Ginny. So I guess our little deal is off which means that my deal is much more effective for me,' she sneered, examining her fingernails with a very Malfoy-like smirk on her face. Malfoy stared at her, thunderstruck.

'Granger, if you tell anyone, or let those idiots tell anyone, I swear I will put up poster that tell everyone that you play the flute!' he said, threateningly. Hermione looked worried for a moment.

'Well, I'm never going to be able to keep them quiet all year,' she said softly, dropping her indifferent manner for one of true worry. She didn't want he secret to come out after six years of hiding it. 'For a while, maybe, but it's bound to come out eventually.' Malfoy turned around and put his arm on the wall and rested his head against it, sighing.

'Just leave me alone and…and keep them quiet as long as you can. If my secret comes out, yours does too.' Hermione gulped and strode away from Malfoy, very upset and intent on talking to the others as soon as possible. She tore down the hallway as soon as she was out of sight of Malfoy. When she reached the compartment, she hurried inside and shut the door quickly only to find Harry sitting alone, reading a book on counterjinxes.

'Where did the others go?' Hermione asked, a tone of desperateness in her voice, staring at Harry with pleading eyes. He looked up and shrugged.

'I dunno,' he said carelessly. 'I think Neville and Luna went back to their other friends. Dunno where Ron and Ginny went though.' Hermione groaned and sank down across from Harry.

'Oh, Harry, I hope they get back soon,' she moaned. 'I have something that I really, really need to tell you all. I need to tell them that they can't tell anyone what I told you about Malfoy or he'll spill…a secret that he found out about me and no I am not telling you the secret,' she added harshly, seeing the curious look on Harry's face. Harry turned back to his book and sighed.

'I told you, I don't know where the others are and I give you my word that I won't tell anyone about Malfoy's little breakdown,' he said blankly, sniggering a little when mentioning Malfoy. Hermione rolled her eyes and stood up.

'Thank you for giving me your word,' she said wearily. 'I've got to go find the others, now, and tell them, too.' Harry nodded and Hermione marched out of the compartment, searching actively for the others she had told about Malfoy.

It took her about ten agitated minutes to find Neville and Ginny. They were sitting in a compartment with Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan, her fellow Gryffindor seventh years. Ginny was holding hands with Dean, whom she had started dating two years ago, dumped and then gotten back together with, and Seamus was shooting them disgusted looks. Neville was sitting across from them, talking animatedly about the professional Quidditch match he had seen over the summer.

'…and they were going so fast you couldn't even tell which player was which!' he was saying excitedly, but he looked up when Hermione entered. 'Oh, hello, Hermione. What's up?'

'Neville…Ginny…Do you guys remember what I told you in our compartment? About the new Head Boy?' They both nodded. Hermione was very uncomfortable due to Dean and Seamus looking at them, baffled. 'Well, I'm going to have to ask you not to tell anyone,' she said stiffly. The others looked at her like she was insane and Ginny turned to face her more fully.

'Are you mad?!' Ginny asked slowly. Hermione shook her head. 'Why in the world would we not tell anyone that Mal…the new Head Boy was…doing what you saw him doing?' she said confusedly as she saw Hermione shaking her head vigorously and jerking her head slightly toward the other boys, who were now looking very curious indeed.

'What are you guys talking about and why can't you tell us?' Seamus asked, probingly and Dean nodded. Hermione looked very exasperated.

'If I could tell you that, there wouldn't be anything for you not to know,' she said quickly. Seamus looked very confused and Hermione kept talking before he could figure out what she had said.

'Neville, Ginny, he found out something I didn't want him to, and no I will _not_ tell you what he found out, and now he says that if any of you tell anyone else what I told you then he will tell everyone my secret and I will hold you guys responsible,' she said briskly. The others nodded slowly and Hermione stalked out of the room. She was very annoyed at having to speak in code.

Luna was found sitting in an empty compartment, her face once again hidden by an upside down _Quibbler_, her wand behind her left ear. Hermione cleared her throat to let her know that she was there.

'Hello, Hermione,' she said dreamily, laying to _Quibbler_ across her lap. 'Why are you coughing? Have you got a Humzinger Ploof stuck in your throat? They're quite prevalent in this area, I hear,' she said, glancing around the room. Hermione looked around as well but saw nothing.

'Um…no, I'm pretty sure I don't but I need to talk to you about what I told you about Malfoy,' she said, sitting down opposite Luna, getting right to the point. 'You can't tell anyone.'

'Why would I tell someone?' Luna asked vaguely.

'I don't know. Spite?' Hermione asked, quite baffled by Luna's odd question. Luna just stared at her through those large misty eyes.

'I have encountered much too much spite in my own life to inflict any on anyone else,' she said, temporarily dropping her vague façade. Hermione nodded, confused.

'Okay,' she said awkwardly. 'Just give me your word that you won't tell anyone,' Hermione said, pleadingly. Luna nodded, opening the _Quibbler_ again and disappearing behind it. Hermione left the compartment quickly. Luna had always made her a little uncomfortable, staring at her with those wide, faraway eyes.

The only person left to tell was Ron and Hermione still had no idea where he was. She checked the bathrooms, the Prefects compartment and all the other compartments. Hermione trudged half-heartedly back to her original compartment just to find Ron playing wizard chess with Harry. Hermione stared at him and let out a noise between a squeal and a groan, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. Ron looked at her.

'You okay?' he asked, looking wary.

'No!' Hermione yelled, sitting down next to him. 'I have been looking everywhere for you for the past half hour! Where have you been? Never mind that, Ron, have you told anyone what I saw involving Malfoy?' she asked in a rush, glaring accusingly at Ron, who looked quite flustered at the stream of questions. He shifted in his seat, his hands up in front of his chest uncertainly, as if trying to ward her off.

'No,' he said defensively. 'I haven't told anyway but what are you going on about…' he began but Hermione cut him off.

'Well, don't,' she said loudly. Ron looked at her questioningly. 'Don't tell anyone about it. Listen, Malfoy found out about a secret of mine and he knows that I know his so he says that if anyone found out, he would let out my secret, too, so if anything gets out,' he voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. 'I will hold you solely responsible and I will make you pay.' Ron just stared at her, obviously confused.

''Kay,' he said timidly. He put his hands down and sat back in his seat. 'So, uh, what is this secret you've been keeping hidden from us?' he said in what he hoped was an off-handed way. Hermione glared at him and crossed her arms across her chest.

'None of your business, Ron,' she said scathingly. 'If I wanted you to know I would have told you six years ago when I met you.' Ron rolled his eyes and continued his game with Harry, who had kept obligingly quiet throughout this whole discussion. Now he looked up cheerfully and stood up, rubbing his hands together.

'So,' he said loudly, looking at his best friends who were now shooting daggers at each other occasionally. 'Who's up for a long talk about the weirdo relationship between Neville and Luna?' he asked as if that would be the highlight of his day. The others just looked at him and he hastily sat back down. 'Never mind, than.'

The rest of the journey was fairly uneventful, excluding Neville accidentally knocking over the lunch trolley while it was passing their compartment and Ginny hexing another Slytherin, which lost Gryffindor twenty points, courtesy of Malfoy, obviously. Hermione still adamantly refused to tell anyone what her secret was which put Ron in a bad mood which put Harry in a bad mood which made people avoid them all which put Hermione in a bad mood and so forth and so on. It was only when they reached Hogsmeade Station that Hermione even spoke to Ron.

'Okay, Ron, you are still a prefect which means that we still have to lead the first years up to their dormitories and _no calling them midgets_,' she reprimanded.

'Hermione, that was two years ago!' he said irately. 'Give it a rest, will you?' Hermione just rolled her eyes and dragged them toward a carriage.

All three of them could all see the thestrals now, as they had seen Sirius die two years before. They all gave them an appreciative pat on the head and they tossed their heads, their white staring eyes rolling. Then, the three climbed into the carriage with Ginny and it trundled up toward the school.

The trio met up with their other friends while milling around entrance hall, waiting to be let into the Great Hall. They all, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna, sat together about halfway down the Gryffindor table and waited for the sorting to begin. Soon, Headmistress McGonagall entered the Hall, a line of frightened looking eleven-year-olds following in her wake. She placed a stool with a frayed hat in front of the school, just before the top table, and everyone stared at it expectantly, waiting for the song to burst forth…but it didn't come.

The hat remained as still and lifeless as usual. The Hall burst out into amazed whispers. The Sorting Hat had never before failed to come out with a song for the Start of Term Feast. Harry turned to Hermione.

'Has 'Hogwarts a History' ever mentioned anything about the Sorting Hat not singing it's song?' he asked, a little unnerved by this abrupt change of protocol. Hermione shook her head, looking worried.

'McGonagall told me when I came in that the Hat hasn't spoken since Dumbledore…died,' she said quietly, looking very distressed. 'It seems to have lost it's spirit of unity and everything.'

McGonagall held her hand for silence and the Hall quieted down. She pulled out a long role of parchment from her pocket and began to usher the students one by one to the Sorting Hat. Instead of calling out the house name to boisterous applause, the hat merely mumbled it and McGonagall had to direct the students where to go. The rest of the hall was eerily mute.

Shortly, all the first years had been sorted and McGonagall took her place in the middle of the top table. The crowd stared at her.

'To our new students, welcome, and to our returning students, welcome back,' she said she said as warmly as she could. 'I would like to remind you all that the Forbidden Forest is, as the name suggests, forbidden to students unless accompanied by a teacher, and that the list of banned objects, even longer than before if that is possible, is still posted on Mr. Filch's door if anyone would like to check it.

'There is something that I would like to announce that is sure to make this year an interesting one but it can wait until after the feast. Begin.' Suddenly, the golden plates and goblets filled magically with food. The tables groaned as everyone began to fill their plates, the Hall now practically buzzing with the announcement to be made after the feast.

'What do think?' Ron asked excitedly, grabbing a few chicken legs from the many gilded plates before him. Harry shrugged and Hermione looked worried.

'It can't be another Triwizard Tournament, can it?' she asked, her brow furrowed. 'I would have been sure that they would have discontinued it for good after what happened last time.' Harry nodded gravely. He could remember only too well what had happened last time. He had been transported by a portkey right into Voldemort's waiting hands, along with another boy, but he alone had made it out alive.

'It really can't be,' Ron said reasonably. 'Dad would have told us about it this time. Remember, he wouldn't tell us last time but he still knew.' The others nodded. Soon enough, the main course disappeared and were replaced by warm puddings and cakes. They ate in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

Before they knew it, the last specs of food vanished from the plates and McGonagall stood, holding her hand high for silence. It didn't take long as most people were lost in thought as they had been. She looked mildly excited which was odd for McGonagall as she usually restrained her emotions very strictly. She beamed around at them all.

'I have a surprise for you all,' she said in a happy, boisterous voice very unlike her usual whip-like tone. She spread her arms wide. 'We will be starting a Hogwarts band this year.' There was complete and utter silence following these words.

'Everyone is allowed to join. To teach this class, we have hired a new band teacher, Professor Ariica Johns,' she said, gesturing to a young woman with green eyes and ginger hair down past her shoulders. She smiled kindly at them all and waved. 'If you are interested in signing up, there are sheets posted in all the common rooms. If you are new, there will be people to instruct you. If you already play, you will tutor the ones who don't. There will be more information on the signup sheets. Also,' she said, gesturing to another new face, one of a handsome young man with blue eyes and hair that reminded Hermione very much of Ron's that rested on his shoulders.

'I would like to introduce you to your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Professor Connor Stuckey.' Professor Stuckey smiled heartily and waved at them all. 'Good night to you all,' McGonagall said heartily, waving them all off to bed.

Hermione sat, frozen in her seat, staring at the spot McGonagall had just vacated. The others were talking animatedly about the new band class but Hermione was feeling very conflicted. Her heart felt elated as she could finally come out with her flute playing but her head was scared at how Malfoy would react at losing his blackmail.

'Hermione,' Ron said, shaking her slightly. 'Come on, we have to lead the first years.' Hermione snapped out of her indecisive moment and began to usher the first years up to the Gryffindor common room. She threw the large signup sheet a longing glance on her way past but passed it by on her way to the new dormitory she was being forced to share with Malfoy. She would come back and sign up by night, when no one would see.

Malfoy sat staring at McGonagall, shocked. Now he had no way to keep Hermione from telling everyone that he had been crying on the train. He was definitely dead on his feet now. If Voldemort didn't kill him, his father surely would. He was woken from his reverie by one of the other prefects when he was told to usher the first years down to their dungeon common room.

He did so grudgingly and then sauntered inconspicuously up to the signup sheet on the notice board. It had a brief summary of what the class would be about and when the first band rehearsal was along with many lines for people to sign their names on. Malfoy pulled a quill out of his pocket and carefully signed his name in barely visible letters on the bottom line.

Malfoy did indeed play an instrument but he wasn't too keen for anyone to find out about it. But, considering the oddballs and losers that went to the school, Malfoy thought that someone with talent ought to sign up. He casually strolled back out of the Slytherin common room and to the dormitory he had to share with Granger and pulled his saxophone case out from under his bed where he had stashed it earlier when Headmistress McGonagall had shone them where it was and how to get in.

He opened it and admired the smooth, shining golden metal and the mother-of-pearl keys that moved so easily. He placed it back in the case and slipped it back under the bed, ready for the next day; the very first ever Hogwarts band practice.

Hermione checked the clock on the wall; it was 1:46. Malfoy was asleep. She stood up, pulled on her robe, and crept through the corridors to the Gryffindor common room. She let herself in and stopped just in front of the signup sheet, reading the notice at the top. The first practice was the very next day. She pulled out a quill and felt someone back into her. Hermione yelped and turned to see Neville staring at her in surprise.

'Hullo, Hermione,' he said uncertainly. 'Are you signing up for the band, too?' he asked hopefully. ''Cause, you know, I don't want to be the only one signing up.' Hermione nodded mutely and handing him her quill to use. He signed his name hurriedly and handed it back to her.

'So, what instrument are you going to play?' she asked, curiously.

'Oh, I don't know,' he said unconcernedly. 'I was sort of thinking of trying a couple out and seeing which is the easiest for me. I don't have a single preference. You?' Hermione teetered for a moment on the notion of just making a run for it but she decided that, since Neville had been told her, she guess that she should say something, too.

'Oh, I guess the same thing,' she lied. 'Just try a few things out.' Neville nodded happily, beaming at her. 'Well, off to bed, now!' Hermione said hurriedly, herding him back up the stairs to the boys dormitory and shutting him in without another word.

That had been a close one. She guessed that she would have to tell everyone tomorrow, though. There is no way that she could have pulled off showing up and being able to play the flute perfectly having 'never played it before'. Her secret would come out tomorrow and there was just no way around it.

Hermione hurried back up to her dormitory and pulled the flute from her trunk. She held it close and took a deep breath. She stowed it back in her trunk and got into bed. She fell asleep very agitated, nervous, and excited about how unruly the events of the last period of the next day would prove to be; it would be the very first ever Hogwarts band practice.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Hermione awoke with a start when the alarm clock began to screech the next morning, still in her clothes from the day before. She hurried into the bathroom to take a shower. Then she magically dried herself, pulled her hair up into a messy bun, spread some golden-brown powder onto her eyelids and some sheer pink gloss over her lips. Then she hurried back to her dormitory to pick out her outfit. First impressions were essential in a new class.

Hermione finally chose a pair of deep golden Capri's and a burgundy, turtleneck, sleeveless shirt. She also wore strappy sandals the same color of her Capri's, gold and ruby earrings and a heavy gold locket on a thin gold chain. Hermione pulled her school robes on over her outfit and checked that all the books she would need for the day were secure in her bag before pulling her flute out from under the bed.

To make it easier to transport, and hide, Hermione shrunk her flute, case and all, to the size of a pen and stuck it into the quill pouch in the front of her bag. She didn't want anyone to know that she actually had her own instrument until they had at least been told that she played. She swung her bag over her shoulder and, with an odd urge to throw up, walked, resolutely happy, out to the common room.

There, Hermione met up with Harry and Ron, who were both dressed with considerably more effort than usual, and headed down to breakfast. Hermione didn't eat very much, though. She picked at her food, moving it around her plate with her fork, but not taking hardly a bite.

'Hermione, why aren't you eating anything?' Ron asked anxiously, placing a hand on her shoulder and glancing at her full plate. 'You are going to need all the strength you can get today what with our new class and everything.' Hermione glanced up at him, highly surprised that he had used the word 'our'.

'So, I gather that you two signed up as well?' she asked hopefully. Both Harry and Ron nodded. 'So…what instrument are you going to play?' she asked curiously. Perhaps this band class wasn't going to be such a mess after all. Harry looked thoughtful for a moment and Ron merely shrugged.

'I thought I might play the trumpet,' Harry said contemplatively, nodding slightly and staring off somewhere to the right of them. 'I've heard it before and it sounded really cool.' Hermione nodded.

'I'm not sure but I thought that I could just try out a few things today and see what I like most,' Ron said reasonably. 'I mean, I'm bound to be good something…aren't I?' he added as an after thought, looking slightly worried at the prospect. 'Oh no, what if I stink at everything?!' he wailed suddenly with a horrified look on his face.

Hermione put a hand on his shoulder and chuckled lightly, highly amused at his fretting. 'Ron, even you couldn't be _that_ pathetic!' Harry laughed at this but Ron looked scandalized and his face made Hermione laugh. Ron sat in a huffy silence for the rest of breakfast while Harry and Hermione continued on with talk of anything but the band class in an attempt to keep Ron from blowing up at them.

As soon as breakfast was over, the three friends split up to go to class; Harry and Ron to Defense Against the Dark Arts and Hermione to Arithmancy. The rest of the day passes without real incidents unless you count Hermione, for the first time ever, being too distracted to concentrate on the lesson and therefore transfiguring her pig into a chair instead of a desk.

Finally, as soon as their last class had ended, Hermione rushed up to her dormitory to drop her things off in her room. She pulled her miniaturized flute out of her quill pouch and hid it carefully in a inner pocket of her robes. Subsequently, she rushed back to the entrance hall to meet up with Harry and Ron again. Both boys were looking as though they were going to be sick but Hermione was surprisingly at ease considering how she had felt earlier that morning.

Professor Johns came striding out of the Great Hall and raised her hand for silence. She got it immediately. The silence was tangible and anxious while she beamed around at them.

'Every other weeknight,' she said in a clear, crisp and musical voice. 'you will all meet in the Great Hall for the Hogwarts band practice. There will be no need for excess talking unless I say 'at ease' and there will definitely be no foolish wand-waving in my class,' she said, a threatening tone to her voice in this last statement. 'Now, everybody in.' Professor Johns began to usher them all into the Great Hall.

The Great Hall looked surprisingly different with the absence of the four house tables. The top table, they saw, was still there but it was now laden with instruments of every kind. Professor Johns stood before the top table and motioned for quiet once more.

'These are the instruments you will have the option of playing,' she said, gesturing to the table behind her. 'I play all of the instruments here so I will demonstrate them so that you can get an idea of the sound each instrument. There are, regrettably, two instruments that I do not play and therefore have not been able to acquire. I am missing a flute and a saxophone. Does anyone here play the flute and/or saxophone well enough to demonstrate?' She glanced around hopefully.

Hermione hesitated only a moment before thrusting her hand into the air, startling everyone around her, including herself. Professor Johns pointed to her excitedly and motioned her to the front of the room. Hermione pulled her miniaturized flute from her pocket, unshrinking it as she walked and stopped in front of the rest of the band, blushing scarlet.

'What is your name, dear?' Professor Johns inquired kindly.

'Hermione Granger,' Hermione said in a small voice that nevertheless carried loud and clear through the nearly silent hall. A few people were whispering excitedly to their neighbors and slowly the noise started to swell until it filled the whole Hall.

'Thank you, Miss Granger, for volunteering. Ten points to Gryffindor,' she said briskly. 'Now would you care to give us a demonstration?' Hermione nodded almost imperceptibly but assembled her flute in one fluid movement anyway.

'Just play anything?' Hermione asked Professor Johns in an uncertain whisper. The teacher nodded and prodded her forward a little. Hermione could feel the eyes of every person in the hall on her and she began to get very nervous indeed. She could sense more than see one particular pair of cold, steely-gray eyes staring fixedly at her and she closed her eyes, raised the flute to her lips and blew.

The hall fell absolutely silent except for Hermione's playing. It was a similar to the one she had played on the train but a little faster and more spirited. When she had finished, the hall erupted with cheers and yells from her fellow Gryffindors and most of the other people too. One person had remained resolutely silent; Draco Malfoy had his hand in the air.

Professor Johns pointed to him also and he made his way toward the front of the Hall carrying a large case. Hermione stared at him. She had not known that he had played any instrument, much less a woodwind instrument like the saxophone. He stood there for a moment, staring around accusingly, as if daring anyone to make fun of him before he turned to the Professor who nodded mutely and gestured for him to begin.

Malfoy opened his case, put a small, thin piece of wood in his mouth and began to assemble his instrument. The Hall was now utterly still. Every person in the hall, besides the teacher, was in shock. They, like Hermione had had no idea that Malfoy had played an instrument.

Malfoy fixed the piece of wood to the saxophone, which shimmered in the light from the dozens of floating candles and blew into it. A pure sound reverberated around the hall, echoing off the high, unseen ceiling. He began to play a lively jazz tune and people slowly began to tap their feet or nod their heads along with it. Hermione just stood there, mouth agape, staring at Malfoy as though she had never seen him before.

Malfoy finished his song and the hall once again erupted with cheers. Hermione could even see Harry and Ron clapping appreciatively in the back. Hermione and Malfoy both returned their instruments to their cases and turned to Professor Johns expectantly. She waved them back to their place in the crowd and address them all again.

'Now that these two brave students, Head Boy and Girl nonetheless, have demonstrated the two instruments that I could not, I will show you the rest. Oh, and ten points to Slytherin, too,' she said, turning back to retrieve one of the many instruments off the table behind her. The rest of her speech was drowned out by Harry and Ron's indignant questions.

'So _this_ was your secret, wasn't it?' Ron asked resentfully. Hermione nodded and he snorted impatiently.

'Why didn't you tell us, Hermione,' Harry asked her, incredulous that she would keep that much talent from her best friends. Hermione sighed and held up a hand to stop them from saying any more.

'I thought you guys, and everyone else, would laugh at me but I have been proven wrong,' she said wearily. She was very tired and her mind was boggling over this new piece of information about Malfoy. She was quite ready to go to bed but she knew that she would have to stay and help the other people who choose to play flute.

At that moment, Hermione was ambushed by Neville, Luna and Ginny who all hugged her and clapped her on the back.

'Wow, Hermione!' Ginny said, awed.

'Yes, that was quite a display,' Luna was dreamily.

'Hermione!' Neville whined. 'You said you were just going to try things out! Like me!'

'Don't worry, Neville,' she said reassuringly. 'You won't be alone in doing that. Ron's doing it, too.' Ron gave him the big goofy grin he gave so often.

'Seriously, Hermione, that was amazing!' Ginny raved. 'I think that I should play flute, too, 'cause then we could play duets and stuff! But I think that percussion would sort of fun, also, but then again…' she trailed off, looking excited and hopefully up at the top table. 'Ooh, Harry, look!' she said suddenly, pointing over the heads of some first years. 'She's demonstrating the trumpet! That's what you want, right?' Harry nodded.

Professor Johns now had a shiny gold trumpet in her hands and was playing a typical bugle call. Harry stared, seemingly entranced by the firm tones and precision she had. Next, she pulled out a large, fairly round, complex instrument with a large bell on one side. Neville nudged Hermione and hissed;

'Psst. What instrument is that?' he asked staring at it much as Harry had stared at the trumpet. A sweet, mellow tone was issuing from the bell and Neville seemed just itching to get his hands on one.

'That's a french horn, Neville, and I think you would be really good at it,' Hermione said encouragingly. 'It takes a lot of subtlety to play a french horn and I think you could pull it off quite nicely.' Neville nodded hastily and continued to watch.

By the end of the class, everyone seemed to have found an instrument that suited them. Harry had practiced a bit on the trumpet and shown an aptitude for it. Ron had settled with a clarinet, a surprising choice to most, but he seemed to have a knack for it. Neville had indeed chosen a french horn and, to his and everyone else's astonishment, was progressing very rapidly. Ginny had decided to take a flute like Hermione and Luna had chosen, much like she herself, one of the oddest things there; the bassoon and she seemed to know instinctively how to play it.

The whole group left the Great Hall in very high spirits, having had more fun in just that one class than in the rest of last year combined. They waved Luna off at the Ravenclaw tower and Hermione took a different path that led to the Head Dormitories.

Hermione seemed to float down the corridor she felt so light after finally letting it out that she played the flute. She had been so surprised at the rest of the band's reactions. She had expected them to jeer and laugh but they had cheered and applauded. She murmured 'unity' to the portrait of the first ever Head Boy and Girl and they swung forward to admit her to the Head's dormitory.

Hermione glanced around the common room. It suddenly looked so much more cheery and inviting than it had the day before. It had a large, squashy garnet couch and two emerald green armchairs around a blazing fire. The walls were the same color as the couch and the floors were a dark, polished wood with emerald throw rugs scattered around.

Hermione flung herself down on the puffy couch and sighed, smiling, closing her eyes and feeling all the tension from the previous night melt away. She rested there for a few moments and then stood up, stretching and yawning, and made her way to her bedroom. It was large with golden sheets and curtains. There were also deep red walls and carpets and a sliding glass door that led to the large, wrought iron balcony that she and Malfoy shared.

She walked slowly out the door, savoring the feel of the cool night air on her face. She pulled out her flute and unshrunk it again. Sitting down on an ornate bench, she put it to her lips and began to play a lively Irish jig.

Malfoy ran around the hall, showing the other students who had chosen the saxophone how to work their new instruments and demonstrated a few times. The other people in the band were considerably warmer to him than they had ever been before, probably owing to the new information that he could do something so non-evil as play an instrument. Not many Slytherins had signed up for band and the few that had were considerably younger than him, so he didn't have to keep up his Slytherin Prince façade.

Malfoy was positively enjoying himself by the time Professor Johns herded them out of the hall again. He proceeded to the Head's common room in much higher spirits than usual. He told the portrait the password and proceeded through the empty common room up to his bedroom. The silver bed sheets and curtains winked merrily at him from the dark green carpet and walls. He glanced out the glass door to the balcony to see a perfect, clear sky twinkled back.

Malfoy lobbed himself onto the bed and sighed, sinking back into its feathery warmth and comfort. He felt happier than he had in years.  
He had finally let it out. Someone actually knew about his saxophone. Not even his parents had known about it until today. Now the entire school would know by breakfast. A thought wandered unbidden through his mind;

'_I wonder if Granger feels this good about it.'_ As if on cue, a light and bouncy tune floated in through the door to the balcony. Malfoy jumped up and snuck to the glass. He opened it slowly so as not to alert Hermione to his presence. She was sitting on a wrought iron bench facing outward and was indeed playing her flute.

'_She really is exceptionally good,'_ Malfoy thought, impressed. _'She looks really happy, too. Just like I feel when I play.'_ Suddenly, Hermione began to play a song that he knew. Malfoy felt inspiration strike him like a lightening bolt. He rushed back inside and pulled out his saxophone. He put it together quickly and tiptoed up behind Hermione.

Malfoy began to play a harmony. Hermione only missed a note or so. He noticed how well she adjusted and how little she protested. She hardly seemed to notice. Their tones blended perfectly and intertwined to make beautiful, sweet ballad music. By the time they were finished, they were both out of breath and flushed. Hermione turned in her seat to look incredulously at Malfoy.

'How do _you_ know that song?' Hermione asked, looking confused. 'It comes from a muggle movie.'

'Like I told you on the train,' Malfoy replied, sitting down next to her and laying his saxophone across his lap. 'I don't agree with the principles I'm forced to follow. Just because I _say_ I don't like muggle things doesn't mean I really don't. Never take anything mean I say at face value.' Hermione giggled a little.

'So, did you like that movie?' she asked, sort of curious about this new and improved side of Malfoy she was seeing.

'Yeah,' he answered truthfully, staring out over the grounds with a faraway look on his face. ''The Titanic' really did have a kind of depressing ending though, didn't it?' he asked in an offhand way. Hermione nodded.

'Yes, that movie always did manage to make me cry,' Hermione laughed. He turned at smiled at her. Not even his usual smirk but a real, genuine smile. It seemed to light up the room.

'Really,' he asked, amused. 'That is understandable but that doesn't make it any less funny,' he said, giving into the chuckles. They were hearty and infectious so that Hermione had to join in. Soon, they were both laughing but had no memory of why. Malfoy took the ensuing silence to study Hermione.

Hermione had a shapely face with high cheekbones and a firm chin. Her eyes were cinnamon brown with just a hint of honey tones in them. Her nose was small and upturned and her lips were full and pink. Her auburn hair fell in luscious curls around her face and down to mid-back. She had a long graceful neck that blended into slim shoulders and an ample chest. That merged into a flat, taught stomach, wide hips and slender, shapely legs.

Malfoy thought she was very beautiful. Hermione suddenly turned to face him, an awkward look on her stunning features.

'Why are you starting at me like that?' she asked, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Malfoy seemed to wake from a kind of stupor.

'I was not,' he said defensively which made Hermione dissolve into giggles once again. 'Seriously, I wasn't,' he implored, blushing slightly and turning away so that she wouldn't see. She calmed down quickly and Malfoy looked up to find her staring at him just as he had been staring at her just moments before. He blushed again and smiled, looking down again.

Hermione heard footsteps behind her but paid no attention to them. Quite suddenly, she heard another sound join hers. She faltered but quickly recovered and continued playing. She soon realized that Malfoy was playing a wonderful harmony to her melody on 'My Heart Will Go On' from 'The Titanic'. She wondered vaguely how he knew that song but concentrated on playing all the right notes.

When they had finished, she was out of breath but very happy and slightly surprised. She turned to looked up at Malfoy. He was flushed, too, and also looking pleased.

'How do _you_ know that song?' Hermione asked incredulously. 'It comes from a muggle movie.'

'Like I told you on the train,' Malfoy said frankly, sitting down next to her and placing his saxophone carefully across his lap. 'I don't agree with the principles I'm forced to follow. Just because I _say_ I don't like muggle things doesn't mean I really don't. Never take anything mean I say at face value.' Hermione giggled a little, putting her hand to her mouth to stifle the sound. She thought he probably wouldn't like her laughing at his predicament but, to her delight, he just chuckled as well.

'So, did you like that movie?' she asked through her giggles, indeed curious to see more of this much nicer Malfoy she was getting a rare glimpse of.

'Yeah,' he answered truthfully, nodding and staring out over the grounds with a distant look on his face. ''The Titanic' really did have a kind of depressing ending though, didn't it?' he asked in an offhand way. Hermione nodded, thinking over the events in that memorably movie.

'Yes, that movie always did manage to make me cry,' Hermione laughed, wondering why she had decided to tell Malfoy that bit of information. He turned at smiled at her. He, Draco Malfoy, had smiled a real, genuine smile at her, Hermione Granger. It seemed to light up the room and lift Hermione's heart. She beamed at him.

'Really,' he asked, an joking look on his face. 'That is understandable but that doesn't make it any less funny,' he said, giving into the chortles he was trying to suppress. They were warm and contagious so that Hermione had to join in. Soon, they were both laughing very hard but had no idea of what had set them to laughing. Hermione looked up and caught Malfoy staring at her. She felt a blush color her cheeks.

'Why are you staring at me like that?' she asked, trying to keep a serious look on her face. Malfoy shook his head slightly and looked at her for a moment.

'I was not,' he said defensively and Hermione dissolved into sniggers again. 'Seriously, I wasn't,' he say, pleading slightly, blushing and turning the other way in an attempt to hide it from her. Hermione calmed down a bit and took the time to look carefully at Malfoy.

He had pale, clear skin and eyes that, though on the train had looked so cold and gray, now looked warm and crystal blue. His nose was thin and straight, his lips shapely and warm-looking, and a prominent chin. His platinum blond hair fell into his eyes and blew somewhat in the light breeze. He had broad shoulders and a toned, muscled chest and abs. All those years of Quidditch had done wonders for him as well. He was definitely a very good looking man.

He looked up and she felt a blush creep up her face again. She picked up her flute and made to hurriedly put it away. Malfoy took that as a cue to leave and stood up.

'Well,' he said uneasily. 'I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then.' Then he turned and walked back to his room. Hermione had a nearly irresistible urge to call out to him, to beg him to stay with her, but she squelched it and remained silent until she heard the door to his room slide closed. She let out a sigh and placed her flute in it's case, laying it down next to her. She stood up and leaned against the railing, looking dreamily out over the grounds.

That day had been truly magical. It had been one of the best Hermione could ever remember having. But one thing kept lurking at the back of her mind, tugging at her and bothering her.

Malfoy's behavior was confusing to her and her emotions were certainly clashing. Hermione had always loathed Malfoy, ever since the first day of Hogwarts. Now, she was having fun talking to him and playing with him. Maybe it was finding something in common with him. Maybe it was maturity finally coming upon him. Maybe it was trying to adjust to having to live with him. Any of these seemed plausible reasons for their behavior.

Hermione turned with a sigh and sauntered back into her room. She shrunk her flute and put it in a small drawer of the dresser next to her bed before undressing and laying down. She closed her eyes and fell quickly into a satisfied sleep.

Malfoy looked up again and saw that she was now blushing. She quickly busied herself with putting her flute away. Malfoy, seeing that she was a little flustered, stood and stood there awkwardly for a moment.

'Well,' he said, shifting uneasily from foot to foot. 'I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then.' Hermione didn't respond so he turned and walked slowly back to his room, half hoping that she would call out to him but she didn't. He entered his room and slid the glass door back into place. He disassembled his saxophone and placed it gingerly in its case before turning to glance back out the door.

Hermione was standing at the rail, looking out over the grounds, obviously deep in thought. Her brow was furrowed but it smoothed and she turned and nearly glided back to her room. Malfoy smiled and slid his saxophone back under his bed. He undressed and got into bed, falling asleep with that same contented smile on her face.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Hermione woke very happy and warm the next moment. It took her moment to trace that wonderful bliss that had her smiling so broadly. She stood up, stretched and dressed in a pair of dark hip hugger jeans and a pink tank top. She spread some earthy tones over her eyelids and a pink gloss on her lips. She slid her school robes over the ensemble and looked over to her bedside table. There was no band today so she left her flute in the drawer and swung her bag over her shoulder.

Hermione nearly skipped down the stairs, humming to herself and stealing a quick glance at Malfoy as she passed. Her smile broadened, if that was even possible, and she clambered out of the portrait hole and proceeded to the entrance hall to meet up with Harry and Ron for breakfast.

'Hey, Hermione,' Harry called, him and Ron waving at her from the bottom of the stairs. Hermione jumped the last three, something she had never even thought of doing before. She threw her arms around both the boys and squeezed them tight.

'Oh, thank you guys,' she said, still not letting them go even though they were turning purple from lack of oxygen. 'Thanks for giving me the courage to tell the rest of the school. I always thought people would laugh or make fun of me but you guys showed me that I was wrong and thank you so much for that,' she sincerely. Then, she noticed that the boys were now clawing at her arms in an attempt to free themselves. She quickly let go, smiling sheepishly. 'Sorry.'

'Hermione,' Ron said, sounding scandalized. 'Will you quit doing that?! You're going to do permanent damage to our necks!' Hermione smiled again. 'Anyways, you should have heard the common room last night,' he said, quickly changing the subject, his face lighting up with enthusiasm. 'Everyone was trying out their new instruments.'

'Yeah, and they all sucked,' Harry interjected. 'But that's what you get for putting a bunch of amateurs in the same room. There was such a ruckus that McGonagall had to come in and tell us to go to bed around three AM. It was hilarious!'

'Well, I'm glad you guys are practicing,' Hermione said, leading the boys into the Great Hall and sitting down about midway down the table. 'Are either of you getting any better yet? How about Ginny and Neville?'

'Well,' Harry said thoughtfully, sitting down next to Hermione and pulling a plate of bacon towards him. 'I got better last night. I can now reach up to a 'B' which is pretty good for only one days practice.'

'I can get from a low 'A' to a high 'F'' Ron said proudly, taking the seat across from her and tucking into a bowl of cream of wheat. 'Ginny was doing pretty good. She can play a whole scale now which is more than I can say for the rest of the flautists,' he added, remembering Hermione's inquiry about his little sister.

'And Neville,' Harry said, looking just awestruck. 'He is amazing! He can already play a scale in two octaves when the rest of the french horns are still trying to find what note the first scale starts on. He's a bloody musical genius!' Hermione smiled at this and glanced down the table at Neville. He was fingering his scales and he was practically glowing.

'Well, I knew he would be good at that,' Hermione said knowingly. 'He looks happier than I've ever seen him. It sounds like you're all enjoying your new hobby,' she said, turning back to Harry and Ron. They nodded and Hermione pulled a platter of scrambled eggs toward her.

The rest of breakfast was spent gossiping about who picked what instrument and if they thought they would be good at them. Hermione definitely thought that Lavender and Parvarti had made the right choice. They had both chosen the oboe, which had a high buzzing sound that reminded them all of busy bees spreading gossip and rumors.

By the time breakfast was over, they were all in a much better mood than usual when heading down to the dungeons. Potions had been a much less painful experience ever since Snape stopped teaching it. Professor Slughorn was a much more pleasant teacher and Potions was now only a minor annoyance as they still had it with the Slytherins.

Hermione took her usual seat with Harry and Ron at the back of the dungeon classroom and took a quick look at the other side. Malfoy was nonchalantly leaning his chair back on two legs and doodling on the edge of a piece of parchment. He glanced over and caught her eye. Hermione smiled at him and he smiled back, inclining his head in greeting.

'Did you just smile at Malfoy?' Harry asked in a disbelieving voice, following her gaze to the other side of the room. 'I thought you hated him.'

'Oh, he's okay, actually,' Hermione stated, ignoring Harry and Ron's accusing stares. 'We played a couple of duets last night and we talked. He's pretty nice when you get through his public image. Did you know that he watches muggle movies? And likes them?' Harry and Ron simply gaped at her and then at Malfoy and back again, very dubious looks on their faces.

'Come, come, now,' Professor Slughorn called, waddling to the front of the class and waving them all quiet. 'Today we will be making a complex potion that will be a month long project and should under no circumstances be drunk,' he said warningly, waggling a finger at them all. 'You will be making Polyjuice Potion, a potion that, when brewed properly, will allow you to take on the physical appearance of another person for one hour. It should never be used for non-human transformations, though, for that you would need transfiguration and that is not my subject.'

Hermione blushed scarlet and hid her face behind her book to hide it. She glanced at Harry and Ron and saw that they, too, looked worried. They did not need any instruction on the Polyjuice Potion as they had successfully produced one in their second year and used it to alter Harry and Ron into perfect replicas of Crabbe and Goyle. They silently pulled out the ingredients they would be working with that day and began to brew it without so much as glancing at the directions on the board.

They finished the lesson with the highest grades in the class, much to the chagrin of the Slytherins. The trio left to go to Charms, still worrying at whether Professor Slughorn would catch on that they already knew how to make the potion.

Charms was the perfect class to talk in because it was too noisy and chaotic to be overheard. They were practicing making a snuffbox walk upright and talk. It was very difficult and by the end of the lesson Hermione was the only who had been successful. Harry's was walking perfectly fine but wasn't making a sound while Ron's was jabbering incoherently but had remained firmly on the ground.

'Hermione, how did you have a civil conversation with Malfoy?' Harry asked, leaning across the table over Ron's squeaking snuffbox.

'I opened my mouth and sound came out with hitting him,' Hermione said as though it was a completely obvious concept. 'He didn't insult me so I didn't him. It shouldn't be this hard of a notion to grasp.'

'Hermione, this is the boy who attacked and insulted you at every opportunity. You hate him just as much as we do, remember?' Ron asked, looking at her as if she was out of her mind.

'No, Ronald, I don't,' Hermione said coolly. Ron flinched at the use of his real name and let the subject drop.

The rest of the lesson passed without incident and Harry and Ron both made a little more progress with their snuffboxes. Harry's now squeaked when touched and Ron's had four stubby little legs that didn't touch the floor but wriggled hopelessly in midair. They walked down to lunch with Ron still stinging from Hermione's reaction to he and Harry's worries.

They ate lunch once again in an awkward silence. Then Hermione went a different direction, back to her dormitory, for her free period. She had finally given up on taking every subject she could and was now taking only the subjects essential for aurors plus Arithmancy. Upon entering the common room, she was surprised to see Malfoy lounging on the couch with a book in hand.

'Hey, Hermione,' he said unconcernedly. Hermione gaped at him for a moment before sinking slowly into an armchair.

'Did you just call me by my first name?' she asked incredulously.

'Yeah,' he said, looking up from his book. He sat up, putting his book on the coffee table and staring at her contemplatively. 'Why shouldn't I?'

'Oh, well, I don't know,' Hermione replied. 'It's just sort of weird to hear someone who you thought you hated start calling me 'Hermione' after so many years of 'Granger', you know?' Malfoy nodded.

'So,' he said in a businesslike tone after a moment. 'Are we on first name terms now or is it too early for that?' Hermione thought her answer through thoroughly before smiling at him.

'Let us reintroduce ourselves,' she said in a haughty tone standing up. Malfoy stood as well and Hermione held out her hand for him to shake.

'I am Hermione Granger,' she said politely. Malfoy shook her hand and smiled at her again.

'Hello, Hermione. I am Draco Malfoy,' he said, just as polite.

'Hello, Draco. What are your interests?' she asked, sitting down prissily on the couch and pulling him down with her.

'Well, my main interest is playing the saxophone,' Draco said nonchalantly. 'What are yours?'

'Very similar, I do believe, as I play the flute,' she said as though this was exciting news. They spent the rest of the free period talking like this and acting silly, just talking over their pastimes and learning more about each other.

By the time their next class was about to start, they had learned quite a lot about one another and had plenty of fun. They left the Head's common room laughing and talking until they began to see other people drifting past them. Hermione began to think about how the other people would react. Harry and Ron had not been thrilled to believe that Draco was good and the rest of the school would probably be the same.

'Draco,' Hermione said hesitantly, holding out a hand to stop him. 'Should we tell people? You know, that we're friends now? Harry and Ron didn't respond too well and the rest of the school won't be much better.'

'Hermione,' he said putting his arm around her in a brotherly way. 'As long as you're by my side, they can jump off a cliff for all I care.'

Hermione smiled and the new friends walked into their Arithmancy class, indifferent to the astonished stares of their fellow students. Some looked shocked, some scandalized, some furious, and some nervous. No one said anything so they sat down at a table at the front of the room and began copying the assignment from the board with huge smiles plastered on their faces.

Whispers followed her wherever Hermione went that day but she paid them no heed. She was beaming all day but she was still very glad when the rumors and gossip died away as she climbed through the portrait hole and into the Head's common room. She ran to her room and pulled her flute out from her bedside table drawer. She unshrunk it, assembled it, and went out onto the balcony once again.

'Draco,' she called over her shoulder in the direction of his room, hoping he was in there. 'You want to play something?' For a moment there was silence. Hermione sighed, brought the flute to her lips and blew a high, keening note. A voice behind her made her jump, nearly dropping the flute in fright.

'Now, who said you could start without me?' Draco said, feigning indignation. Hermione pressed her hand over her heart and took a deep, steadying breath.

'Draco Malfoy,' she panted, pointing the index finger of her other hand at him. 'Don't you ever, I repeat ever, sneak up on me like that! You scared me half to death,' she gasped in _real_ indignation. Draco laughed and sat down next to him, his saxophone hanging at playing height from a leather strap around his neck. Hermione noticed how his dark, brooding features transformed into a stunning visage when he smiled like that.

'So,' he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice, taking her flute from the bench where she had set it down and handing it to her. 'Is that offer still open or will I just have to play alone tonight?' Hermione smiled back at him, taking the flute from her hands and placing it to her lips. She began to play 'My Heart Will Go on' again and he joined in with a different harmony.

It soon became a routine. They would talk and joke for a while every night, then get their instruments and play that song and then they would play whatever else they could think of, often just making up songs and sometimes actually writing them down. Over the next two weeks, they grew to be very close and Hermione began to think that it might be time to introduce Harry and Ron to the new Draco.

'Come on, Harry,' Hermione urged tugging him toward the Head's common room. 'You , too, Ron. I have something I need to show you both.'

'Hermione, what is so important that you had to drag us away from dinner?' Ron groused, folding his arms over his chest and frowning, upset about having to forgo a meal. Harry gave up his struggle as well and walked along, mildly curious about this surprise.

'You will see when you get there, Ron,' she said peevishly. She was beginning to have second thoughts about this. 'Now, I know that you guys are going to have trouble with this but I still think you should know,' she cautioned. The look on Ron's face darkened, if that was possible, and Harry looked slightly disconcerted.

Hermione ushered them up to the portrait hole and whispered the password so that they couldn't hear. It swung forward to admit them and Draco was lounging on the couch casually. He beamed up at them.

'Hello, Hermione,' he said cheerfully, giving her a hug she gladly returned. 'Hello, Harry, Ron,' he addressed the boys who were now staring, open-mouthed at him. They held a gaze for a moment before Harry and Ron moved cautiously around Draco to sit in the armchairs by the fire. Hermione sat on the couch and tugged Draco down next to her.

'Hermione, what was it you wanted to show us?' Harry asked, eyeing Draco suspiciously. Hermione looked from him to Draco as if it was obvious.

'What do you think?' she asked condescendingly. 'Draco is what I wanted to show you. I want to reintroduce you to him like I did. I found we have a lot in common.' Ron seemed to be in shock and Harry looked dubious.

'Well, okay, if you say so,' he said with the air of someone walking up to the gallows. He stood and pulled Ron with him who had still not moved. Draco held out his hand and smiled at him.

'Hello, my name is Draco Malfoy. You?' he said formally. Harry took his hand and shook it briefly, looking at him warily, as though he expected Draco to curse him.

'Harry Potter,' he said. Then he shoved Ron forward, much to his protests and introduced him, too. 'And this is my friend Ron Weasley. _If I have to do it, you do, too,'_ he hissed in Ron's ear. Ron reluctantly shook hands with him as well. Hermione beamed at the pair of them and pushed Harry and Ron back into their chairs.

'Now that we all know each other,' she said, reminding Harry of a therapist. 'I think I should leave you guys to talk everything over.' Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked briskly out, grinning evilly.

Draco stared incredulously at Hermione's retreating back. Then he turned to stare at Harry and Ron who were now looking murderous.

'Listen up, ferret,' Harry hissed, pointing a finger threateningly at Draco, leaning forward in his chair. 'If you do anything to hurt Hermione, anything at all, me and Ron will chase you down and make you pay.'

'We don't care if you 'didn't mean' it or 'it was an accident',' Ron said, adding air quotes and skeptical tones when necessary. 'We will find you and curse you into oblivion.'

Draco looked from one to the other, unsure of what he was supposed to do now. He eventually gave them a weak smile and spoke in what he hoped was a confident voice but sounded feeble and afraid.

'Listen you guys, I would never do anything to Hermione,' he said in a hurt voice. 'I thought that Hermione told you by now. I would say I've changed but that's not really true. I never was the way you thought I was. The only thing that's changed is that I have the courage to stand up to the people who keep telling me what to do, threatening me much like you two are right now,' he said, his voice becoming stronger, his temper flaring at the indignity of the stereotyping.

'Just because I come from a family of Dark wizards you automatically think I'm the same, don't you?' he asked, his voice raising, but he continued without waiting for an answer. 'You don't have any idea what it's like to have the Dark Lord breathing down your neck, and my father. I always wanted to make my father proud but I didn't have the guts to do what would make him happy so, eventually, I gave up. Now that I've stopped trying to avoid muggle-borns, I've come to really like one; this particular one; Hermione. And if you think that I would push away my only real friend, the only one that has ever bothered to listen to me or even try to understand and help me, just because you two tell me to is ludicrous. I don't care if you believe me! Hermione believes me and that's all I care about anymore! I love her!' Draco roared. He was standing but didn't remember standing up. His insides were writhing likes snakes.

Then, suddenly, he realized what he had just said and it felt as if the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. Harry and Ron were looking severely dumbstruck. Draco's eyes flitted from one to the other but he had yet to move. His chest was heaving. He saw Harry and Ron's eyes flutter to somewhere behind him. He heard a small noise and he spun around.

Hermione was standing there, clutching her flute to her chest, tears running silently down her cheeks. Draco felt his heart break in two. He caught her eye and felt his breath catch in his throat. Those eyes; they held him mesmerized, those cinnamon brown eyes that usually teemed with laughter but were now filled to burst with shimmering tears, that could bend him to her will with one look, that could melt his heart.

He whispered, 'Hermione?' and she ran from the room, her hair and robes billowing behind her.

Draco faintly heard Harry and Ron stand behind him but he paid them no heed. He felt them brush past him and follow Hermione out of the room. He sack back on the couch. He felt hollow, like she had taken of piece of his heart with him. He had just finished saying that he would never hurt her and what had happened? He had hurt her without even knowing it.

A knot seemed to tighten painfully in his chest. Then he realized; he had meant what he said. All of it. He loved Hermione. He buried his face in his hands. He sat there for what felt like hours but was, in reality, only a few minutes. Then he stood and trudged up to his room. He pulled his saxophone out from under the bed and assembled it, walking out onto the balcony. He sat on the familiar bench and began to play a slow, doleful tune, hoping all the while that Hermione would join in but no sound came.

Hermione stood by the door of her room, hoping to catch snippets of civil conversation, holding her flute. She was planning, as soon as they were getting along, to show the boys their trademark song. All was very quiet for a moment and then she began to distinguish Draco's voice. It got steadily louder and angrier until she caught the end of what seemed to be a long-winded rant.

'…_and if you think that I would push away my only real friend, the only one that has ever bothered to listen to me or even try to understand and help me, just because you two tell me to is ludicrous. I don't care if you believe me! Hermione believes me and that's all I care about anymore! I love her!' _

Hermione gasped. She felt a stinging pressure in the corners of her eyes and clutched her flute tighter. There was a long silence. Hermione pushed open her door and tiptoed down the stairs. Draco was standing, glaring at Harry and Ron. She vaguely noticed the boys attempts to make eye contact. She only had eyes for Draco. Tears were still streaming down her face when he turned to look at her, a stunned expression on his face.

'Hermione?' he said quietly, tentatively. Hermione couldn't stand it anymore; the turmoil in her head, the torrent of emotions flooding in her mind, those crystal eyes that burned with passion and love and bored into hers with such intensity that she had to look away, that could melt her heart.

Hermione ran. She ran out of the Head's common room and down the corridor, blinded by tears and not really caring where she ended up. She kept running until she could no longer hear Harry and Ron's footsteps as they tried to catch her. Finally, out of both breath and tears, she slumped against a wall and slid to the floor. She stared at the opposite wall for a moment or two before realizing what she was seeing.

She was a tapestry on which a goblin tried to teach trolls to perform ballet. This was the corridor for the Room of Requirement. She stood up and began to pace back and forth thinking very hard; '_I need a place to be alone where no one can disturb me.'_ After she passed three times, she glanced up and, sure enough, there was a polished wood door where moments before had been solid rock. She rushed into it and closed the door with a snap.

Hermione had never seen a more comforting room. The walls were a deep, dark blue. There was a fire roaring and crackling merrily in the corner. There was an overstuffed couch as well as a large canopy bed, both blue. And there was a row of bookshelves laden with American novels, her favorite kind. Also, to her great delight, there was a shelf of flute music and a chair with a stand set to playing height in front of it.

Hermione spent the rest of the day playing what ever she could read on her flute, and reading a bit. She stayed the night in the Room of Requirement so as to avoid seeing Draco long enough to think things over properly. They had only been at Hogwarts for a fortnight and already her life was a mess.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Hermione stayed in the Room of Requirement all weekend, thinking of food when she was hungry and practicing her flute regularly. It was really the only thing to do there even if it did remind her painfully of Draco. She may have been able to avoid him during the weekend but it was near impossible once classes started again. For the first time in her life, Hermione seriously considered skipping her classes, but her thirst for knowledge, and her fear of punishment, overcame her uneasiness and she went to her classes anyway.

Hermione summoned her bag and threw it over her shoulder, taking a deep, calming breath as she did so. She was dreading her first class, Arithmancy, in which she would have to face Draco for the first time after his vehement proclamation. Hermione was confused, had no idea of what her feelings for Draco were, and it was made worse by the realization that there was a band practice she had to go to that day; they were beginning to play real music and she needed to be there to direct the flute section.

Hermione took another deep breath and stepped out of the Room of Requirement. Nothing happened, so she made her way slowly to her Arithmancy class. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw that white blonde head she had become so accustomed to sitting at their usual table at the front of the room. She silently sat down at a table at the very back. She couldn't stand to be close to him now. She was too confused and unsettled for that sort of association.

She noticed Draco beginning to get anxious, craning his neck in an attempt to find her so she pulled out her heaviest Arithmancy book and hid her face behind it, crouching so he couldn't see her telltale brown hair.

The Arithmancy lesson passed without a confrontation so Hermione hurried to her next lesson, Defense Against the Dark Arts, with higher spirits; Draco didn't have that class, but Harry and Ron did. She thought she should talk to them and see if Draco had been acting any different.

'Hey guys,' Hermione said awkwardly, sitting down at the table in the back of the DADA classroom, wondering over their reactions to Draco's significant announcement. 'What's up?'

'Nothing much,' Harry said, just as awkwardly. Both boys shuffled their feet a little.

'So, uh, how are you feeling?' Ron asked, not looking at her. Hermione thought the question over carefully before answering. She didn't want them to think Draco had upset her more than he had, had hurt her in some way. From the sounds of Draco's ranting, they had been accusing or threatening him and she didn't want to justify them.

'Well, I'm a bit confused but, other than, that I'm fine,' she said truthfully. The boys smiled at her, mollified, and returned to their books. 'Has Draco been acting any differently lately?' Hermione asked tentatively, fidgeting with the hem of her robes, a little hesitant to bring up such a touchy subject.

'Well, he has seemed a tad depressed all weekend,' Harry said unconcernedly. 'I think you two have some unresolved issues to attend to, Hermione,' he advised. Ron nodded reluctantly.

'I know but, it's just a bit soon, don't you think?' she confessed. 'I know I have feelings for him but I need time to sort them out but we have most of our classes together so there's really no avoiding him, is there?' Harry shook his head and Hermione just rolled her eyes at him.

'Talk to him,' Ron instructed simply, yet grudgingly. Hermione looked at him. 'Well, he obviously meant what he said so it's not like he'd leave you or anything. And, as you said, you have feelings for him so you should talk with him and figure it out. What makes you happy makes up happy, I think,' he added, annoyingly.

'Thanks, Ron,' Hermione said sincerely. 'That sounded oddly wise. Who would've thought it from you?' she asked gallingly. Ron rolled his eyes at her in annoyance.

Hermione made up her mind. She would talk to Draco during their free period after lunch. They did have things to discuss and they couldn't do that if she was avoiding him like the plague. She needed to be mature and levelheaded through this whole ordeal, not let her emotions run amok of her sense. She turned her attention to Professor Stuckey in good spirits.

Hermione made her way nervously toward the Heads' dormitory where Draco was waiting for her, wringing her hands and biting her lip. She had slipped a note into his bag telling him to wait for her but now she was regretting it. She had no idea what she was going to say! What could she say? Her mind was in as much of a tumult as it had ever been.

She entered the common room to see Draco staring into the fire. He jumped up and walked to her in one fluid motion. He pulled her into a hug and she didn't resist, even hugged him back. The security in his arms was familiar and had a sort of soothing, calming effect on her.

'Are you okay? Don't scare me like that, Hermione. Where did you go? Why have you been avoiding me? Talk to me, Hermione,' he said in a rush, leading her back to the couch. Hermione held up her hand for silence.

'Draco, it was just a bit confusing for a while,' she assured him. 'It was a little overwhelming for me. I'm still overwhelmed but I've had a bit of a chance to think it through,' she confessed. 'Draco, what are your feelings for me?'

Draco smiled at her. 'I love you, Hermione, I really do. I've only realized that fully since you've been gone. Every moment I didn't know where you were, didn't know if you were okay or if you were coming back, was pure agony for me. It felt like my heart had been ripped out to be replaced by a black hole. Every second I couldn't see you smile, hear you laugh, talk to you, I felt a little more empty inside. My heart is with you and it always will be,' he said. Hermione's eyes filled with tears.

'That was pure poetry,' Hermione said quietly, wiping her eyes and sniffing, trying to keep the tears from falling. Suddenly, she threw her arms around Draco's neck, nearly knocking him over backward. 'Oh, I missed you, too!' she wailed, letting the tears fall. 'I won't leave you again. I…I love you,' she choked out. She felt with all her heart that it was true, no matter how tentatively it was spoken.

Draco had spoken the truth. He had been rehearsing that all weekend, in case she asked. He could tell that Hermione was sincere as well, no matter the timid precariousness of her voice. He pulled back and looked into her cinnamon-honey eyes, trying to convey all his feelings through that one gaze. Then he began to lean in, almost unconsciously.

He heard her breath catch and she tensed a bit. He was an inch away when he stopped. Her breath was warm upon his face, teasing him. The tension built and the silence screamed at them to move but he held still, waiting to see what she would do. Then, Hermione closed the gap, placing her lips gently on his.

All thought was blocked out by his first taste of her warm, soft lips on his own. His mind was blissfully unaware of anything but the sensations sweeping his body as he relished the feel of Hermione's lips against his. His hands sought for an acceptable place to rest and ended gently on her hips. She placed her hands on his shoulders and scooted closer to his embrace.

It was a slow, gentle, sweet kiss whose intention was to convey love and trust, nothing more. They broke apart, but both kept their eyes closed, imprinting the feelings in their minds. Draco opened his eyes to see Hermione looking at him lovingly. He smiled at her. She smiled back.

Draco pulled her into a tight hug and then stood, pulling her with him. He lead her up to the balcony and went back inside, leaving her on their bench. He brought back her flute and his saxophone. They hadn't played in three days and he was a bit out of practice. She was sitting on the couch waiting for him. He knelt in front of her on his knees, and put the instruments down on the couch.

'Hermione, 'you are here in my heart and my heart will go on and on',' he sang quietly but sincerely. Her eyes brimmed with tears again and she kissed him lightly once more. His voice was pretty good, and she smiled down at him.

'Looks like you're musically talented all around. You're not a half bad singer, either,' Hermione said teasingly. Draco blushed.

'Well, let's hear you, then,' he suggested. Hermione blushed but nervously sang him the chorus of their favorite song. 'You're not bad, either, love,' he said sincerely. He sat next to her and put his saxophone to his lips. Hermione followed his lead and picked up her flute. They began to play their usual song. This time they played it through twice, thinking the lyrics in their heads, and went on through the key change and the last verse, more than they usually played.

'It's time for out next class,' Hermione said regretfully, putting her flute in its case carefully.

'That's okay,' Draco said. 'We live here. We can play together any time we want to, love,' he said, kissing her on the forehead and proceeding to put his instrument away as well. They put their instruments in their bags and headed to the Great Hall. They went their separate ways but not before sharing one more soft kiss.

Hermione entered her next class practically skipping. Harry and Ron looked at her strangely but she ignored them. Her talk with Malfoy had lightened her spirits so much that nothing could weigh her down. He had been kissed for the first time and she had loved it!

'I'm guessing the talk with Malfoy went favorably?' Harry asked, knowing the answer. Hermione beamed at him, and Ron frowned at them both, his feelings about Draco obviously unchanged.

'Yes, it did,' Hermione said brightly. Harry grinned at her and Ron managed to give her a small smile, slightly sarcastic though it was.

The rest of the day passed without a hitch and Hermione made her way down to band practice with Draco at her side. They entered the Great Hall and sat at the head of their respective sections, awaiting directions.

'Individual practice for now, students,' Professor Johns instructed. 'You're sections leaders will help you if you need it and I will be available. At ease.' Hermione turned to help a few of the other flutes.

'Wait! Do you have a quill? You need to mark the fourth note in the measure seventeen. It's an E natural not an E flat. E flat would make it a minor chord and that would throw off the chord progression. Not to mention the dissonance with the other flutes,' Hermione said to a second year boy after listening to him practice. He obliged, wrote in the correction, and practiced again.

Professor Johns tapped Hermione on the shoulder. 'You have a good ear. I'm surprised you caught that mistake with all the noise in here. Hey, would you mind staying after practice? There's something I need to ask you and Draco,' she said, sounding both nervous and excited.

'Sure, Professor,' Hermione said, beaming at the praise. Then she hurried off to correct a fourth year girls fingering of high C sharp.

Draco flitted around from pupil to pupil, pointing out wrong notes and correcting fingers. The others were doing well with those sorts of things so he was starting to get on them about phrasing and dynamics.

'You see this? It's called pianissimo. It means very quiet. You play very quietly here and then it crescendos into mezzo forte and decrescendos back to piano over here. Got it? Let me hear it,' he instructed a third year girl who had been playing the entire piece fortissimo. He listened appreciatively to how quickly these kids learned.

He felt a tap on the shoulder and turned to face Professor Johns. 'I'm glad someone knows what all the dynamic markings are called. Could you stay after practice? There's something I must discuss with you and Hermione,' she said.

'Of course,' he said, smiling at her. He turned back to his section and sighed as one kid squeaked loudly. 'What size reed do you have? You need to have a size 2 1/2, not size 3!' he said rushing to aid him.

Hermione and Draco sat comfortably in the new office that had been added for Professor Johns, lounging in lushly upholstered armchairs of blue silk and waiting for Professor Johns to appear.

The young woman rushed in and, instead of sitting behind the desk like the other teachers, she hopped up to sit on top of the desk, nearly lounging on it, making the teens gape at her in surprise. That's not how teachers usually acted. She giggled at them.

'I have some news for you but I'm not sure how you'll react,' she said frankly, smiling at them. 'You are both very talented musicians but, as you know, I don't play your instruments so I have no way of continuing your training,' she said. Hermione and Draco's faces faded quickly from pride to disappointment. Band was their favorite class.

'But I've figured out a way for you to prolong you're instruction,' she said excitedly. 'This is the part you might not like: I know a wonderful musician in America willing to take you on as apprentices.' She waited for a response.

'In America?' Draco asked slowly. 'The only way for us to keep learning is to move to _America_?' Professor Johns bit her lip and nodded slowly.

'You could just stay here and stay section leaders but you wouldn't be fostering your talents like you should. You wouldn't get any better than you are now and that would be a pity considering how far I think you both could go,' she said. 'These guy is really nice and a very good teacher. I think you should give him a chance. Well?' she asked hopefully, leaning forward slightly and looking imploringly at them.

Draco looked at Hermione, who looked nervous but also a tad eager as well. 'What do you think, Hermione?' he asked, very nervous indeed.

Draco had never left his home town, save for going to Hogwarts, and especially not to somewhere as foreign as America. His parents wouldn't be thrilled, he new that. They didn't even know about his playing, much less his being good enough to an all-expenses-paid trip to America to be tutored by a stranger.

'I think it could be enlightening,' Hermione said. 'American can't be nearly as different as we think it is,' she reassured. Draco thought it over and nodded slowly.

'Okay, I'll try it,' he relented. 'Hey! It might be interesting.'

'Oh, yes, it will be very interesting,' Johns repeated, looking a tad nervous again. 'But you would have to go to a muggle high school while you were there. Before you say anything, you are both of age so you can use magic whenever you want to. I am prepared to graduate you both from Hogwarts right now.

'You are both top of your classes and more than capable of passing all of the end of year exams. You can graduate right now from Hogwarts but you would still have another year left in muggle school. Muggle school lasts one year longer than Hogwarts. You are eighteen when you come of age in the muggle society so you would both be considered underage. I will even give you fake IDs!' Johns was nearly pleading, actually leaning forward with her hands clasped before her.

'Okay!' Hermione and Draco called in unison.

'We'll do it. We'll go to America as long as you get us housing and money to get by with. They have different money in America and everything is priced differently,' Hermione said. Johns nodded, looking relieved and sighed.

'Great! I'll give you details tomorrow.'


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

'I can't believe we get to go to America! Isn't it exciting?' Hermione exclaimed, racing around the common room, making absolutely sure they had left nothing behind. Draco tried to answer positively, failing miserably. He wasn't very happy about having to leave England, and just a tad afraid, but he would never let her know that.

'Oh, good golly gracious, yes!' he said in a falsely cheery voice, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet and clapping his hands in faux enthusiasm. Hermione frowned at him but made no comment, only continued in her frenzied ransack of their dormitory.

Today was the day they would depart to go to the plane that would take them to America. They couldn't apperate, their mentor was a muggle virtuoso, so they would ride a plane and let him pick them up. They had as much stuff as they could take, some of it shrunk and tucked discreetly in compartments of their suitcases, and their wands were hidden well, though still within arms reach at all times.

Hermione, finally convinced they hadn't forgotten anything, was pacing agitatedly back and forth around the room, making Draco dizzy at times. They were waiting for McGonagall to come and escort them to the airport. Draco had never ridden in a plane, and Hermione had never ridden on one for so long, so they were both a little nervous.

Soon, the portrait hole swung open and Hermione eagerly hurried up to McGonagall, suitcase in hand and a big grin plastered across her face. McGonagall nodded at her beckoned them to follow her. Hermione did so willingly, Draco did so grudgingly. They dragged their luggage down to the horseless carriages, horseless no longer, and trundled away.

'When you arrive at the airport, you will _not_ under any circumstances use magic around the muggles! You will obtain your tickets, they are preordered under your names, and get on the plane. It is a long flight so you might want to get something to entertain yourselves on the way over.

'When you get there, you get off the plane and your mentor should be waiting for you. He knows what you look like so he should find you. If he has, for some reason, been delayed, you will wait in the waiting area. He will find you. Now, here we are, out you go,' she instructed.

Hermione stepped out of the carriage, the outside of which had been bewitched to look like a car, pulling Draco with her. They stared in awe at the shining metal of the building and the gleaming hulls of the planes. McGonagall hurried them through the big double doors and directed them to the ticket counter. Then she left them alone.

'Um, ma'am?' Hermione said tentatively to the woman behind the counter. She smiled kindly at her, looking very smart in her blue and red stewardess outfit.

'How can I help you two?' she asked, her voice bright and cheery.

'We need to pick up our tickets. They should be under the names 'Draco Malfoy' and 'Hermione Granger',' Draco said, rather bravely in Hermione's opinion. The woman began to sift through a pile of packets, finally pulling out two little envelopes and handing them over.

'There you go. Granger and Malfoy, flight 217. Flight 217 leaves in thirty minutes, board in the east loading deck,' the woman direct cheerily. The teens thanked her and headed in the direction she indicated. They were put through metal detectors without a hitch and were ushered to their seats on the huge plane.

The trip was long. Nine hours, twenty-three card games and many, many conversations later, Hermione and Draco were shepherded off the plane once again. The airport was much like the one they had left, except for the people.

The dress style was much different, as were the accents, and many people were talking very loudly. Everyone had American accents, save for the English people who had gotten off the plane with them. They stood there awkwardly for a moment, not exactly sure what they were supposed to do.

'Well, McGonagall said _he _would find _us_ so I guess we should just stay here,' Draco said, sitting in one of the plushy chairs to look out for their mentor. 'She said he would look for us here in the waiting area.' He pointed up at the big sign above them that read, 'WAITING AREA'.

Hermione nodded and sat down next to him. It took a couple of minutes but soon, a tall man with brown hair and nearly black eyes came striding towards them. Hermione looked him up and down, taking in his appearance. It wasn't what she had expected.

The man, their mentor, wore a light blue button up shirt, the top three buttons open, and light jeans. He was well muscled and handsome, in a semi-rugged way. Hermione stood, pulling Draco up with her, and grabbed their luggage.

'Hermione? Draco?' he asked, looking at them. Hermione nodded eagerly. For some reason, his accent was intriguing. He held out his hand for them to shake. They both did so.

'Well, I'm Shane Trammel and I am your new musical mentor. Now, keep in mind that just because you will be living on your own doesn't mean will not have to go to school. I'll work with you in the afternoons. What instruments do you two play?' Shane asked, leading them out of the airport and into a big black car. Draco and Hermione slid into the back seat, Shane in the front, and they set off for their new apartment.

'I play flute and Draco plays saxophone,' Hermione said.

'Some of my favorites. What kind of sax?' Shane asked curiously without turning around. Draco thought for a moment.

'Alto,' he said. 'What's your main instrument? I know you play all of them but what's you favorite?' he asked for no particular reason other than inquisitiveness.

'The one I focus on most is the french horn. I just love the mellow tone, you know? I can play all five octaves. I'm thinking of getting my own flugal horn. It's one of those weird mix instruments, sort of a cross between a french horn and a trumpet,' Shane said.

'My friend Neville just started the french horn a couple of weeks ago and he can already play all of his scales in one octave and I think one or two in two octaves,' Hermione volunteered.

'I'm impressed,' Shane said, and he sounded it. 'It took me forever to get the second octave. Most of the instruments came to me so easily that the challenge of an instrument with such a large range was endearing. I also like the bassoon, one of the more obscure instruments,' he said, pulling to a stop in front of a self-effacing one story flat.

'Here we are, your new home,' he said impressively, getting out of the car and spreading his arms wide. The others followed him inside and down the hall to the living room. 'This is a rental house so don't blow it up or anything. It's being paid for so don't worry about rent. You see me tomorrow, school starts day after tomorrow, and have fun. See you later,' Shane said. Then he left.

Hermione flung her bags into a corner and flopped down on a large, blue, overstuffed couch, sighing dreamily. Draco sat next to her and pulled her into a sitting position, placing a light kiss on her lips. She smiled at him and kissed him in return.

'This is amazing! We get a house all to ourselves, daily music tutoring with a guy with an American accent! Oh, I don't know why but I love American accents,' Hermione said, beaming around them. 'I'm a little worried about muggle high school, though,' she said, biting her lip worriedly.

'Why? You heard Professor Johns, we're the smartest in the whole school. I'm sure we can handle high school. Why couldn't we?' Draco said, trying to reassuring his nervous girlfriend.

'Because we haven't taken so much as a real math class in close to seven years! Now they're going to expect us in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, english, geography, science, history! We've been studying _magic_, something we need in our society, and these kids have been studying all that, stuff they need in their society! We don't know any of it! We don't even _have_ the same history in England!' Hermione shouted, really beginning to panic now.

'Hermione, calm down,' Draco said, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eye. 'We're going to be fine. Even if we don't know it when we go in, you're smart enough to make a potion or a spell or something to make us learn it quicker and catch up. There's no way that we could fail. You are way too smart to fail at anything. You're smart and beautiful and I love you with all my heart,' he said soothing. Hermione took a couple of deep breaths, relaxing visibly.

'You're right, of course. I'm just be melodramatic. Sorry,' she panted, smiling slightly at her overreaction. 'And I love you, too,' she said quietly, giving him another peck on the lips. 'I need music. It'll calm me down.' Hermione ran over to her luggage and extricated her flute, unshrinking it.

Draco got out his saxophone and they sat on stools they took from the kitchen. They played through their nightly song with more passion and enthusiasm than usual, having not played it for a day or two. They had missed it a lot. Then they ran through their scales and arpeggios and really anything else they could think of.

'I think it's time we went to bed,' Draco said, about an hour later. 'I'm a little jetlagged and playing this long takes a lot out of you. See you in the morning,' he said, yawning and stretching. They put their instruments away and headed off to their respective bedrooms.

Hermione changed and brushed her teeth, then sat down on her bed and looked around. The room would absolutely need some decorating but was essentially okay. The walls were a light blue and the furniture was all white. Hermione found it a bit bland. She pulled out her wand.

She waved it at the walls and they faded to a darker blue, the color of the sky after a sunset, and the furniture darkened to a deep reddish brown. She waved it at the bed and the sheets changed from white cotton to dark gray satin and the quilt from light blue to dark blue. Hermione settled back and smiled at her handiwork, falling asleep within minutes.

Draco looked around his room, much like Hermione's, in distaste. It was too bright. He waved his wand and the walls darkened to a deep green and the furniture to black. His bedspread to silver and his quilt to green. Then he laid back and drifted off to sleep.

Hermione awoke very early, unable to sleep any longer due to fervent anticipation. Today was she and Draco's first tutoring session. She hopped out of bed and ran to her suitcase. She pulled out a tasteful yet professional outfit and ran to get a shower before Draco could use up all the hot water.

She magically dried herself and untangled her hair. Then she put on black slacks, a white button up shirt with blue decals on the sleeves, collar and pockets, and black tennis shoes. She put her hair in a high ponytail and added some blue eye shadow, reddish pink lip gloss, and mascara. She checked herself in the mirror. She looked chic and professional, yet relaxed and laid back. Perfect.

On the other hand, Draco was awakened by his alarm clock going off for the third time. He got groggily out of bed and trudged to the bathroom to take a shower, as Hermione was already long finished with it. He magically dried himself as well, combed his hair, and pulled out an outfit.

He dressed in jeans, a dark green button up, and white trainers. He wasn't nearly as excited as Hermione was and definitely wasn't going to put in extra effort just to look good for something he did everyday. He headed down to breakfast.

Hermione was seated at the small kitchen table, a large plate of scrambled eggs and sausage in front of her, half eaten. She smiled when he walked in and he gave her a peck on the cheek before sitting down, pulling his pre-served plate toward him.

'Good morning, darling,' Hermione said brightly. 'I am so excited! I wonder what Shane will be able to teach us that we don't know already. We both know all our scales in as many octaves as possible, we know about phrasing and dynamics and breathing techniques and how to read music and all that so what else is there?' she asked, sounding intrigued and enthusiastic about the whole affair.

'I don't know, dearest,' Draco said, smiling at her affectionately. 'You look lovely today. What time is that Shane guy coming over? I want to warm up before he does.'

'He said around noon,' Hermione replied, cleaning her dishes before placing them back in the cabinets. 'It's about ten fifteen now so we have plenty of time. We should wait till maybe eleven thirty to warm up, though. Don't want to tire yourself out before we even start, do you?' she asked.

Draco finished eating and put his dishes in the sink, not bothering to clean them. Hermione frowned at this but made no comment. The two went into the living room and found that they had a TV. Draco was fascinated. He had never seen a television before so Hermione had to explain what it was and how it worked.

'It's very simple, really. You use the remote control, this thing here, to turn it on and off, change the channel and adjust the volume, things like that,' Hermione instructed, demonstrating. 'There are programs that you can watch for entertainment. Sort of like little plays in a box. They are very entertaining at times and very annoying at others. Ooh! I've seen this show before! It's really funny,' she said, settling down to watch 'Hannah Montana' on channel 39.

They only watched one episode, as Draco found Miley's country accent a bit grating, until eleven and then turned it off for the moment. They passed the remaining time organizing their music and playing through their scales. They were nicely warmed up and arranged by the time Shane arrived.

'Hey, guys, I see you're already assembled and warmed up,' he said with a smile. He was wearing a black T-shirt with the letters ACDC on it and artfully ripped and torn jeans. 'Looking sharp, Hermione,' he complimented, gesturing to her outfit. She blushed, smiling back at him.

'So, what are we going to learn?' she asked zealously, gesturing to a third barstool.

'Let me hear you play something. Anything. Do you have any songs that you know as duets or something?' he asked, sitting down. Hermione and Draco smiled at each other and played through 'My Heart Will Go On' as perfectly as they could, performing all the dynamics and articulation appropriately.

'Not bad, not bad,' Shane said, clapping appreciatively once they had finished. 'Impressive that you've memorized it. Did you make up the harmonies yourselves? Great. You're both wonderful musicians. One thing that will help: now we switch instruments,' he said, taking her flute from her hands, as well as Draco's saxophone, ignoring his protests. He handed the saxophone to Hermione and the flute to Draco. They looked at each other's instruments confusedly.

'What will that do? How is trying to play the flute going to help me with the sax?' Draco asked, distastefully, highly irritated by the loss of his beloved instrument.

'Yeah, I'm never one to contradict a teacher so I'll just inquire respectfully. What exactly is the purpose of the instrument swap?' Hermione asked, looking politely puzzled.

'It really helps your musicianship to play multiple instruments, especially the one that your partner plays,' he explained. 'Makes you more conscious of their limits and difficulties. Draco, try to play a note on the flute,' he instructed. Draco put his mouth to the hole and blew. No sound came out.

'Now you, Hermione,' he continued. Hermione put the reed in her mouth and blew. She got a very loud and high squeak for her actions, making her and Draco wince.

'See? You don't even know how to make a note, much less how loud or soft it can go, how difficult articulation is, or the range of the instrument. Once you know these things, you can make sure you play things in a key that fits both, with more appropriate dynamics, etc.,' he said.

'Hermione, for the next week you are going to learn to play the saxophone, and Draco will learn the flute. Now, to make a noise on a reed instrument you put the reed on your bottom lip and put the top of the mouthpiece up against the back of your teeth. Now blow,' he said. She got out a note that quickly turned into another squeak.

'The reed isn't close enough to the mouthpiece to vibrate well, Hermione, pull the mouthpiece out a little bit.' It was Draco who corrected her, reaching over and pulling on the neck of the sax. She blew again and got a much clearer note that didn't squeak. 'Now put your fingers on the keys and play a different note.' She did so and was delighted to be able to play five notes before she got another squeak. 'It just takes practice.'

'Now it's your turn,' Shane said, pointing to the flute in Draco's hands. 'The sound of a flute is made by blowing across the hole, not into it. Have you ever made a sound across the top of a bottle? It's the same thing.'

Draco let Hermione place his fingers on the correct keys to play a concert B flat. Then he blew across the hole, rolling the barrel in and out until he got a note. Then Hermione carefully put down one of this fingers to play an A, making him lose his note for a moment. He got it back and played a full four notes plus a half step without losing it again.

'Good, good, good,' Shane said, clapping his hands a bit and beaming at them. 'Can you tell a difference in the way you hear? You start to pick out different sounds, you can tell when they run out of breath by the tone quality, you can tell when it gets too high or too low for the other, or if you're going to fast. It makes a huge difference when you're playing duets.

'Here are some scale sheets for your new instruments. Practice them, help each other, and I'll see you tomorrow,' he said, handing them some sheets of music. Then he picked up his instruments and left. Hermione tried to play a higher note. 'Mouthpiece is too far out now. Push it in some. And you're out of tune,' he said.

Draco and Hermione spent another two hours playing around with their new instruments. By the end of the day, they were making great progress. They switched back and played through their song again.

This time, they both admitted, it was much better than before. Their intonation, their timing, their musicianship, everything was much more together, almost in unison, even though their notes were harmonic.

'That was a great first lesson, don't you think?' Hermione asked, placing her flute back in it's leather case. Draco nodded indifferently.

'It was okay,' he muttered. For some reason, he just didn't like Shane. It took him a moment to place the feeling, but then he realized it: it was the way Hermione had first looked at him, so admiringly, approvingly. This acidic feeling eating at his heart was jealousy, something completely foreign to him. He frowned, taking his saxophone back into his bedroom and pushing it under the bed again.

'Why are you so unresponsive to Shane, these whole lessons? Are you sick?' Hermione asked concernedly when he returned, placing her hand on his forehead to see if he had a temperature. He shrugged her off irritably and plopped down on the couch.

'No, I'm not sick, Hermione,' he replied sourly. 'I'm fine.' Hermione sighed heavily and sat down on his right. 'I'm just a little out of it.'

'Well, I think I know what I could do to make you feel better,' Hermione murmured. She placed a hand on his left cheek, turning him to face her, and gently placed her lips on his. He kissed her back, placing one hand on her waist and the other along the top of the couch.

Hermione, since she was leaning over in an awkward position, used one hand to steady herself and the other went on Draco's knee. He turned toward her more and pulled her closer, laying his other hand on the back of her neck. It was too much to keep their kiss sweet and innocent.

Draco subtly pressed his tongue against Hermione's lips, requesting entrance. After some initial hesitancy, she admitted him. She let him gently explore the new area before doing the same thing, slipping her tongue into his mouth. The kiss lasted a full minute and when they pulled back, it was only for lack of air.

'I love you, Draco,' Hermione whispered, snuggling into Draco's chest. He held her tightly and leaned back, smiling. He found that her words alleviated his jealousy toward Shane and he felt better.

'I know.'


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

Hermione awoke with a start only to find herself in Draco's arms, curled up on the couch, still in yesterday's clothes. She desperately wanted to snuggle back into his warmth, but then she glanced at the clock. It read 7:50. She bolted upright and dashed to her room, jolting her boyfriend awake, practically in a panic.

'Hermione?' Draco called, running after her. 'What's the hurry? Why are you so freaked out?' He entered her room to see Hermione frantically throwing things out of her suitcase.

'It's the first day of school!' she cried, not looking at him. 'We're going to be late if we don't hurry!' She finally decided on something, then hurried past him to the bathroom to shower and change. She was in and out of the shower in five minutes flat. She dried magically, to minimize wasted time, and threw on her outfit.

Hermione had chosen a pair of light flair jeans, almost white, and a light blue tie-dye T-shirt. She pulled her hair into a high ponytail and put on her white trainers. She added blue eye shadow, mascara, blush, and pale pink lip gloss. She even decided to carry a purse today, to make sure she had everything. And to have a place to hide her wand that wasn't as conspicuous as her back pocket.

Draco waited patiently, trying to quell her frenzied rampage whenever she passes by, and failing miserably. When she was finally out of the bathroom, he showered and dried. Then he dressed simply in a pair of good jeans and a plain black T-shirt, with black trainers and his hair just-out-of-bed-messy. Then he met up with Hermione in the kitchen for a quick breakfast before heading out. To school. Yuck.

Hermione was already sitting in the kitchen, a bowl of cold cereal in her hands and another on the table for him. He sat down and began to eat, shooting concerned glances at Hermione every moment or so. She ate quickly and ran to get the backpacks, repacked, that had been delivered the day before.

'Hermione, it's only 8:00 and school doesn't start till 8:45. We have forty-five minutes, hold your horses, will you?' he said when she tried to get him to eat faster. He ate at a normal pace, ignoring Hermione agitatedly fidgeting by the door.

As soon as Draco put his bowl in the sink, Hermione grabbed his arm, shoved his backpack into his arms, and hurried them out the door. They were going to walk, this first day only, instead of apperating to school; they didn't know what places would be empty and didn't want to apperate into the presence of muggles.

They walked quickly, their bags slung on their backs and their shoulders tense. The streets were traffic jammed and the sidewalks were clogged, but not horribly so. They made it to the school, Leon High, without incident. Before they entered, Draco stopped Hermione.

'Do you want to give yourself a more American sounding name? Just so we don't stick out as much. I mean, Draco and Hermione are fairly obviously British names. I was thinking of Drake. How about you?' Hermione looked contemplative for a moment, thinking it over.

'How about Maya?' she asked, then, seeing the look on his face, felt the need to explain. 'You know. Her-_maya_-ne? Just Maya for a nickname would be okay. But I want people to know our real names, too.' Draco nodded and they entered their new American school.

All the decorations and furnishings were red and white, as was the large lion statue in the Entrance Hall. There were lockers lining the walls, and a large auditorium with a stage, and stairs leading to a second floor. Students, some their age, some younger and some older, were milling around, chatting with friends or getting books from their lockers.

Draco bravely walked up to a tall girl of about their age and tapped her on the shoulder. 'Um, we're new here. Could you point us to the headmaster, principal, dean, whatever it is you guys have here?' he asked. The girl smiled at him, her bright green eyes twinkling.

'I'd be glad to! My name's Ari, by the way. Ari Burton,' she said cheerfully, leading them to another building. Surprisingly, she spoke with a British accent.

'Hello. I'm Draco Malfoy, but you can call me Drake, and this is-' he said, turning to introduce Hermione as well but she cut him off.

'I can introduce myself, Drake,' she said, irritated. 'I'm Hermione Granger, or just Maya,' she said sweetly, shaking hands with Ari. 'You have a British accent. Where'd you learn it?' she asked.

'I've done it ever since I was a child! Most children don't do accents but I sort of have a thing for them. I do a lot of acting and accents open a lot of doors with that so I know how to do about five. Whenever I'm around people with an accent I know, I just automatically fall into it, you know?' she said, excitedly.

'I do! Sometimes I do the same thing,' Hermione said. 'I came to the US for a summer when I was nine and learned to do a pretty good accent and now I just fall into it whenever I'm around Americans!' she added.

'Really? How come you never told me that?' Draco asked, a little hurt that she was sharing experiences with this girl they had met a few minutes ago when she had never told him, her boyfriend.

'Oh, I'm sorry, Drake,' she said apologetically. 'It just never came up in conversation,' she added. She kissed him lightly and then turned back to Ari. 'He's my boyfriend, in case you haven't noticed,' she giggled. Ari giggled back.

'I have a boyfriend, too, I'll introduce you later. What grade are you guys in?' she asked. They paused; they didn't know.

'Uh…we don't really know,' Draco admitted. 'Our school was a boarding school that lasted from when you were eleven till you were seventeen, roughly. Starting the same time most kids would start secondary school. It was our last year but we were told that public schools have an extra year,' he explained.

'So you're juniors. Me, too!' she exclaimed. 'That means you're in eleventh grade. There are twelve grades overall. First year kids in high school, ninth graders, are called freshman. Second years, tenth graders, are called sophomores. Third years, eleventh graders like us, are called juniors. Last years, twelfth graders, are called seniors,' she said. 'Here's the Administrations Office. You need to get schedules,' she added.

'Okay, thanks. We'll see you later, I guess,' Hermione said, waving at her. Then, Ari ran off to her first class. Hermione gulped, took Draco's hand, and stepped into the office. She stepped up to the long counter and addressed the woman behind it.

'Um, excuse me, we're new here. We need schedules and maybe a map or something,' Hermione said quietly. The woman looked her over appraisingly.

'You two would be those foreign transfers, right?' she asked. They nodded. 'Right. Hermione and Draco?' More nods. 'Right. These are your schedules and you can just get someone to show you to your classes. Most people here are friendly enough,' she said dismissively, waving them off.

Draco thanked her and they exited the office. 'Great. We have out classes but we don't know where they are? Just great,' Draco griped once they were out of ear shot.

'Draco, it won't take us long to learn where things are. And in the meantime Ari can show us around,' Hermione assured him.

'Yeah, it took me about a week to know my way around Hogwarts. And Ari seems nice enough,' he agreed, putting his arm around her. 'Where will we find her to ask where our classes are? The schedule has numbers by the class names. What do you supposed those are?' he asked, looking confusedly at the slip of paper.

'That probably tells us where they are, we just don't know what they refer to,' Hermione guessed, looking at hers as well. 'What classes do you have?'

'Language Arts, Social Studies, Biology, lunch, Algebra, Band and…who put me in Chorus?!' he asked, crossly. 'I never said I wanted to be in Chorus! Who told them what we like? These people are gits!'

'Calm down, it's just a class,' Hermione soothed, putting her hand on his shoulder. 'They probably thought, since we like band, we would like anything musical. Not to mention you have a very good voice anyway.'

'Well, you have it, too.'

'What?!' Hermione looked down at her schedule to see that it was exactly the same as Draco's. 'No, this can't be! I don't sing! I have stage fright! I am not getting up in front of people and singing!' she said, her eyes wide and a hint of panic in her voice.

'You have a good voice, Hermione. It's not as hard to perform as you think it is,' Draco said. 'I've been acting like I like my family for the last seventeen years. It's a piece of cake…sometimes,' he said flippantly, but his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.

'I guess,' she conceded sadly. 'Well, we need to find someone to get us Language Arts,' she said in a resolute manner. 'Um, excuse me! Can you tell us how to get to this class?' she asked a passing boy.

'Language Arts 1. Room 204. Upstairs, take a left, look for the room with '204' on the door,' he instructed, showing them the correct direction. Hermione thanked him and dragged Draco off in the way he pointed.

They sat in the middle of the room, a compromise; Hermione wanted to sit in the front, Draco in the back. The teacher, sitting behind, began calling role. The other students settled down as the familiar names were called. Everyone was in their seat by the time a few new names were called.

'Draco Malfoy?'

'Here.'

'Hermione Granger?'

'Here.'

Suddenly, all eyes were on them. The two glanced around awkwardly and slouched lower in their seats, uncomfortable with all the attention. They had the feeling that they were being sized up, the others trying to tell if it would be worth their while to befriend them. Eventually, the others' curiosity was satisfied and they turned back to the teacher, who finished calling role with little incident.

The class proceeded as normal, Hermione faring better than Draco, considering that she actually read for fun, often American novels. By the time the bell rang, Draco was in a right foul mood, Hermione not much better. Despite their disposition, they forced themselves to go on to their next class, chorus.

Hermione held Draco's hand in a viselike grip, nearly cutting off the circulation to his fingers. Her palms were sweaty and her eyes wide with apprehension. Draco looked at her, amazed. 'Hermione, you're really scared, aren't you?' he asked.

'Of course, I told you that when we first got our schedules,' she said, staring at the door in front of them, yet making no move to enter. 'I wouldn't be surprised if I passed out on the floor as soon as I get in! I don't do well in front of crowds.'

'Yes, you do,' Draco contradicted. 'You do fine whenever you make speeches or when you play. What's the difference?'

'This is something I don't do very often, something I know nothing about,' she explained. 'I've had loads of practice with flute and whenever I have to make speeches, I write it all down and memorize it beforehand so I don't have as much pressure. I learned it out of books. I never even thought of singing before so I never read any books on it so I know nothing about it and that's what frightens me!' she said, her voice sounding strained.

'Hermione, I know you're scared but so am I. If anything goes wrong, I'm right here for you. We'll get through this together,' he said, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. She smiled, her eyes showing her gratitude, and gave him a light kiss. Hermione took a deep breath, steeled herself, and followed Draco into the chorus room.

The room consisted of a flat space in the front, containing a piano and a dry-erase board, and the rest of the room rose in carpeted tiers up to a wall of windows. The tiers were lined with desks, in which were sitting many chattering students.

Every eye turned to them, and, undoubtedly, the students in their Language Arts class were telling the others about the 'foreign transfer students'. They hurried to take seats apart from the crowd, so as to avoid the eyes and the whispers.

'Now, now, settle down,' a heavy woman called from the front of the room. 'I am Mrs. Hall, as most of you know. I do see that we have two entirely new students. Would you like to introduce yourselves, or should I?' she said, directing her comments toward Draco and Hermione.

'We'll do it ourselves, thanks,' Draco said, dragging Hermione to her feet, despite her protests. 'I am Draco Malfoy,' he said to the rest of the chorus.

'And I'm Hermione Granger,' she said nervously. 'We're transfer students from London.' she explained, finally quelling many wild rumors and suspicions. She hurriedly sat down, pulling Draco down with her. 'You had to do that, didn't you? You just had to have us stand up in front of everyone! Why couldn't you have just let Mrs. Hall do it?' she hissed.

'And have her pronounce your name wrong? Never,' he whispered back jokingly. His quip evoked a small smile, and a great release of tension. They both turned back to Mrs. Hall.

'We need to resort you all into your sections,' she was saying. Draco saw Hermione tense up again. 'I will call you one by one into my office and I will have you sing a few things to help with your placement.'

'Oh no! I'm so going to mess up. I've never sung on purpose before outside of church, and only reluctantly. I don't do well under pressure,' Hermione worried, taking several deep breathes as the first student was ushered into Mrs. Halls office.

'If end of the year exams are anything to draw from, you do your best under pressure. You'll be fine, I guarantee it,' Draco assured her. She smiled at him, though she was thoroughly unconvinced.

They watched anxiously as one after another of the students were called in, talking just to keep their mind off the upcoming test. Inevitably, Hermione's name was called. After a moment of shock, she stood unsteadily and made her way down to the office, with the air of a woman walking to the noose.

Mrs. Hall closed the door behind her and sat down behind an electric keyboard, facing her. 'Would you please sing this note,' she instructed, pressing a middle C on the keyboard. Hermione gulped, took a deep breath, and sang the note. To her surprise, it was actually on pitch. Maybe she really did do better under pressure. She took it as a good sign.

'Good. And this one?' G. Then high C. Then a full C scale. Then she was tested on her range. It extended a lot farther than Hermione had thought it would. All the way from a low F to a high F, two octaves. Not bad for having never sung before.

'Great. I think I will have you as a soprano, if we get enough altos,' Mrs. Hall informed her. Then she sent her out to call in the next student. She did so with relief, glad the audition was through. Then she returned to her seat beside Draco.

'So what did you have to do?' he asked. 'How'd it go?'

'It went great. I'm probably going to be a soprano, if they get enough altos. I have no idea what that means but it sounds promising,' she giggled. 'All you have to do is sing a few notes, then a C scale. Then she'll find your range. I actually have a two octave range, F to F. Really rather impressive. You'll do fine, if that's what you're worried about,' she said, placing her hand comfortingly on his.

'Good. Lots less pressure if you know what's coming,' Draco said. He leaned forward to kiss her, but heard a snigger and someone whistled. He turned and looked over his shoulder. There was a group of boys looking over at them, smiling knowingly.

'That's a nice catch, there,' one of them said. 'I wouldn't mind a piece of that.' Hermione made a small noise of indignation, glaring at the boy.

'Back off of my girlfriend!' Draco yelled back at him.

The boys 'ooh'ed, and looked at each other. The one that had spoken, obviously the leader of the group, got up and sauntered over to them, the other boys filling in behind him. Draco stood up and confronted him.

'Draco, think about what you're doing,' Hermione whispered, standing up and placing a hand on his shoulder.

'I know,' he whispered back.

'What did you say, punk?' the boy asked. He was certainly an imposing boy, a little taller than Draco and a bit more filled out. But it wasn't all muscle. He wore ripped jeans and a black T-shirt. He seemed confident, almost arrogant, much like Draco was when he was little.

'I said, back off of my girlfriend,' he repeated quietly, a threat in his voice. The boy looked back at the others behind him and smirked. The rest of the class had stopped their talking and were apprehensively watching the altercation. It wasn't everyday something like this happened. Most people knew the status quo, and no one messed with Britt Lewis and his gang.

'What's say we teach this new guy some manners?' he said, it was more a statement than a question. Britt reared back and threw a punch at Draco. Hermione let out a small scream, but Draco side-stepped it easily. Britt looked a little incensed that his attack had been thwarted and pulled back for another punch.

Before he could throw it, Draco jabbed him quickly in the stomach. From the others' perspective, it looked to be hardly more than a poke, but it knocked the wind out of Britt, making him cough and splutter indignantly. Draco waited patiently for him to regain his breath.

'Oh, you're dead meat now!' he coughed. Britt lunged at him. Draco took a step to the left, and brought his elbow down on the base of Britt's neck as he flew past. He yelled and hit the floor with a loud thump.

Everyone began to scramble for their seats as they heard the door to Mrs. Hall's office quiver. Hermione and Draco sat down just as she exited, looking alarmed.

'I heard a scream! What's the matter?' Then she spotter Britt on the floor at Draco's feet, moaning and rubbing his neck. 'Mr. Lewis, what happened to you? Get off the floor!' she said, rushing up to them.

'This new guy attacked me!' Britt lied, standing up gingerly, still a little winded from Draco's first hit. The teacher gasped and turned to look at him. Draco looked innocently up at her.

'Is this true, Mr. Malfoy?' she asked in astonishment.

'Yes, and no,' he said calmly. 'This guy, Mr. Lewis, made a crack about Hermione, who just happens to be my girlfriend. I told him to back off and he came over here, said he wanted to teach me some manners and tried to punch me. I ducked, and struck out in defense. He came at me again so I side-stepped and made sure he wouldn't attack me again,' he explained coolly.

'Fighting again, were you?' Mrs. Hall asked Britt angrily, her hands on her hips. He said nothing. 'Principal's office, both of you,' she said, glancing back at Draco. Then she returned to her office to finish the placement auditions.

'See what you've gotten yourself into already?' Hermione whispered as he walked away. He ignored her and followed Britt Lewis out of the classroom.

'After school, you're toast,' Britt hissed as soon as the door had closed.

'Now, now, why humiliate yourself any more than you already have?' Draco replied smoothly.

'Oh, you think you're so tough. So you know a few moves, big deal. I could take you down in an instant,' Britt said tauntingly.

'Look, I can see you're used to being the best around here but I was at the top in my last school and I'm not giving that up so you might as well get out of my way,' Draco said boldly, looking the bully square in the eye.

Britt gaped angrily at him for a moment, stunned at this entire lack of respect, or fear. 'Today. Five o'clock. Outside. Be there.' he said furiously, poking Draco in the chest.

'Sorry, can't make it,' Draco said truthfully.

'Oh, is the 'top dog' scared?' Britt said mockingly, making a puppy dog face at him.

'Oh, not at all. I've got saxophone lessons after school,' Draco informed him.

'Saxophone? You're a band geek? No wonder you don't want to fight me,' he laughed. This hit a nerve in Draco. He decided to have a little fun with this guy.

'Oh yeah? Well, if not at five, how about at eleven? In the park, at eleven o'clock. You going to be there?' he proposed, careful to keep his voice in check. He had plans for this guy.

'Right. Sure. Eleven o'clock in the park. I'll be there, if you decide to show,' Britt agreed, holding out his hand for him to shake.

'Oh, I'll show, but you'll wish I hadn't,' Draco said menacingly. 'Now, aren't we supposed to be going to the principal's office? I'm afraid I don't know where it is, but I'm sure you'll know the way by heart,' he said in a falsely sweet voice. Britt glared at him before leading the way.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Hermione was indeed made a soprano, but she wasn't at all happy about it. Sopranos were the ones that had to sing high, and she wasn't very comfortable singing in that range. But she made it through the class, and went on to her next class.

Hermione made it through biology and social studies without seeing Draco once, even though their schedules were identical. She was getting worried. What if he got sent home? Or suspended? Or expelled? She shuddered to think of having to go through the whole school year alone.

She went on her way to lunch, thinking she would find Ari and ask if she had seen Draco. She had just reached the door when she ran into exactly the boy she had been looking for.

'Draco! Where have you been? What happened?' she demanded, leading him to sit at an empty table.

'Calm down, it's okay. I got a lecture and Britt got detention,' he informed her. 'Britt Lewis is the guy who tried to punch me. By the way, I'm going to be sneaking out around ten thirty if you'd like to accompany me to the park,' he said nonchalantly.

'If you were sneaking out why would you ask me to come with? Never mind. What, exactly, are you sneaking out to do?' she asked, fearing the answer. It was just what she expected.

'I'm fighting Britt in the park at eleven,' Draco said casually. 'Oh, come on, you saw how bad of a fighter he was back there! This is going to be a piece of cake. With my Quidditch training, reflexes and strength and speed, this should be child's play,' he said, catching the look on Hermione's face.

'I don't think-' she began to scold, but she was cut off by Ari sitting down next to her, a tray of gross looking food in her hands.

'Aren't you guys going to eat anything?' she asked. 'Oh, you don't know what to do, do you? Okay, you get in line, get food from the lunch lady, and then five that guy $2.50,' she instructed.

Draco and Hermione got their food, paid for with the money that had somehow ended up in their pockets-most likely courtesy of Professor Johns-but didn't seem inclined to eat it. They weren't even sure it was fit for human consumption. They forced some of it down anyway.

So, how has your first day been so far?' Ari asked excitedly.

'Mine was fine but Draco's was a little interesting,' Hermione said accusatorily, glaring at him. Ari turned her attention to him.

'I, uh, got sent to the principal's office for fighting,' he mumbled. Ari gasped. 'Well, Britt was being a jerk-' he started to defend himself when she cut him off with another gasp.

'You fought Britt Lewis?' she asked, astonished and impressed, leaning forward. 'If you won, you're going to be the coolest guy in school!'

'Ari! Don't encourage him. Violence is not that way to solve your problems. But, I have to admit that he deserved it. And he's a really bad fighter,' she conceded.

'Yeah, we're not done yet. I've agreed to meet him in that park nearby at eleven o'clock tonight to finish this. I'm used to being on top so I'm not giving up my dominance to that wimp,' Draco scoffed.

'That's big. Just wait till that circulates around the school,' Ari said. Then she squealed and waved over Draco's shoulder. They looked and saw a tall boy with dark brown hair and dark eyes, waving back.

'Guys, this is my boyfriend, Vince,' she said excitedly, standing to hug him. Then she pulled up a seat for him and he sat down, smiling at them.

'Hi, I'm Vince Scheuron,' he said, extending his hand for Draco to shake. Then his eyes widened. 'Whoa! You're that guy from chorus that beat up Britt!' he said.

'Uh, yeah, he was being a real git,' Draco said, a little unnerved at the recognition. 'You in chorus, too?'

'Yeah, me and Ari both. She wasn't really paying attention. I don't see how you could've missed that,' he directed at Ari.

'Well, I was practicing for the audition. I had headphones on!' she said defensively. 'Anyway! Are you guys doing alright in your classes?'

'Sort of,' Hermione said. 'Okay, not really. We went to a…performing arts school,' she lied. 'We haven't had a single real school lesson in almost seven years! I was just a bit confused in biology and I was totally lost in social studies,' she confessed.

'Which is really ironic considering we had the highest grades in our entire school. That's why they let us graduate early to come here. We only came here so we could continue our instrumental training with a specialist who lives here in Tallahassee,' Draco said. 'Now I'm wishing we had done a little research about the American curriculum.'

'You'll catch on soon enough,' Vince assured them. 'If either of you need a tutor, I'm free,' he offered.

'Thank you, Vince, but I'm sure we can figure something out, maybe a good study session,' Hermione said, casting a meaningful look at Draco. He rolled his eyes at her. She was thinking more along the lines of memory strengthening potion, or maybe wit sharpening. Something magical.

'Right,' he said. Hermione shot him a look before turning back to Ari and Vince.

'We'd really like to thank you for, well, speaking to us. Being friendly, you know? Our welcome hasn't been the warmest. It's like we're a freak show or something,' Hermione said quietly. 'People are always staring at us and whispering. It's really getting on my nerves.'

'It's just exciting. Not many foreigners, no offense, ever come to Tallahassee. It's a fairly boring place. They'll get over it soon,' Vince guaranteed. 'So, Draco, do you know what chorus section you're going to be in, or did you get kicked out before you auditioned?'

'No, I didn't have a chance to audition,' Draco said. 'What section are you in?' he asked, hoping to get a clue what the sections actually were.

'I'm a tenor.' Seeing the blank look on Draco's face, he decided to elaborate. 'That means that I sing the higher boys' part. The baritone sings the middle boys' part, and the basses sing the lowest.'

'Okay. Hermione's a soprano. They sing the higher girls' part, correct? So the…altos sing the lower girls' part?' he asked, hoping he didn't sound stupid.

'Right,' Ari said, nodding. 'I'm a soprano, too. Yea! We're in the same section!' she said happily, clapping her hands together. Hermione smiled at her, glad she knew someone in her section.

'What are you guys doing after school?' Vince asked. 'We go to Young Actors Theater and I was thinking you could come down and check it out. It'd be great if you could join up,' he said, looking at Ari. 'Right?'

'Yeah, that'd be awesome! You can come watch our Grease rehearsal,' she said. 'I'm sure the director, Tina, would let you in, even though the show's already been cast. That would be so much fun!'

'Sorry, not today,' Hermione apologized, truly regretting the lost opportunity. 'We have private lessons after school.'

'You guys can't be that far behind,' she said.

'No, instrumental lessons,' Draco corrected. 'We play instruments. We transferred here because our band teacher couldn't teach us anymore, so she handed us off to Shane Herman, a virtuoso friend of hers, so he could continue our lessons. We have lessons pretty much everyday after school. I'm sure we could wriggle out a couple times but not today. It's only our second lesson. We don't want to make bad impressions,' he said.

Draco was regretting it, too. Though he had never told anyone, he, too, was a great lover of the arts. He would watch Broadway in his spare time, locked in his room with a silencing charm, lest he ruin his carefully sculpted image.

'I really wish we could come watch,' he said, deciding to let them in on his well kept secret. 'In all honesty, I watch a lot of Broadway. My parents don't approve of that sort of thing, for some odd reason, so I used to watch it in my room with the door locked and everything soundproofed. Otherwise my family image would be ruined and God forbid that ever happen,' he said, holding up his hands in mock defense.

'Really?' Hermione asked. 'I knew you watched American movies but I never thought you'd be interesting in Broadway. You don't strike me as that kind of person,' she said.

'Hermione, I told you about that in our dormitory like the second night of the year,' he said. 'All of my actions before this year were a façade, an image, all fake. You-know-Who, remember?' he said cryptically. Or so thought Vince and Air, who were both looking at them strangely, annoyed at being left out of a conversation they knew nothing about.

'So, did you say you were doing a production of Grease?' Hermione asked, steering the discussion to a more stranger-friendly subject. Ari nodded. 'I love that show! That's one of my favorite Broadway plays!' she exclaimed. 'When are the performances? I need to come see these! What parts do you play?' she asked quickly.

'I'm Marty,' Ari said proudly. 'And Vince is Sonny. Odd, cause our characters end up together in the show and me and Vince are already together in real life!' she said, taking a hold of Vince's hand.

'Got to love ironic casting,' Vince chuckled. He was blushing. Hermione thought he must be very modest about his talents, tending to shy away from anything having to do with his skill or talent. He decided to change the subject, much how she did earlier. 'So, anyhow, what instruments do you two play? I tried piano in my younger days but it didn't quite work out,' he asked.

'I play alto saxophone,' Draco said proudly. 'And I'm just starting on flute. And Hermione plays-'

'There you go trying to say everything for me! I can speak for myself, you know,' Hermione said exasperatedly. 'I play flute, just starting on alto sax,' she said to Vince. He gave her a funny look. 'Our private teacher said it would help our musicianship to learn more than one instrument so we thought we might as well learn each other's,' she explained. He nodded.

'Cool,' he responded. 'I always wanted to play a real instrument but I never really got around to it. And I don't count piano as a real instrument.'

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Hermione sighed. 'Well, on to math, worst subject ever! We'll see you tomorrow. Maybe we can come watch your rehearsals another day. Talk to the director, uh, Tina, about letting us in, okay?' she said hurriedly, gathering up her trash.

'Sure thing,' Ari replied, leading them to trash can to throw it away. 'We'll talk to you later.' With that, she and Vince headed off toward a different class, leaving Hermione and Draco to advance tensely to their algebra class.

Hermione pulled her backpack out of her new locker, right beside Draco's, and turned wearily to her boyfriend. It had been a hard day for both of them, and eventful. Draco nodded at her and they traipsed exhaustedly to the front doors to go home.

'I don't think I have the energy to apperate home,' Hermione muttered, leaning against his shoulder. 'I am way too tired.'

'It'll take a lot more energy, and time, to walk all the way home, don't you think?' Draco reminded her. Hermione groaned, but nodded. 'You just side-along, I'll do the real focusing,' he sighed. He led her behind a tree where no on could see them, focused on the inside of their apartment, and was gone with a pop.

The beat couple collapsed on the couch as soon as they reached it. 'We made it! I can't believe we made it,' Hermione whispered. 'Tonight I need to make a memory potion. There's no way we can catch up naturally at the rate their going. I have never failed anything and I don't plan to start now,' she said determinedly. Draco smiled at her ambitiousness.

'Right,' he mumbled, too sleepy to say anything else. Both of them paid no attention when they heard the door open, and slam.

'Hard first day?' Shane asked, chuckling. Draco rolled his eyes at him, sitting up with a groan.

'You could say that,' he mumbled. 'We went to a performing arts school; we haven't had a real school lesson in seven years! This day was murder.' Hermione was too tired to sit up, she just mumbled incoherently.

'Well, now it's time for another lesson,' Shane said, pulling up the three bar stools again. 'Get your instruments, switch them, and tell me if you have any problems. Or tell each other,' he said, sitting down.

Draco considered just summoning his instrument, then remembered that Shane was a muggle, so he got up and slouched his way to their rooms, Hermione following groggily. They both got their respective instruments, swapped them, and headed back out to the living room.

'Great. Now practice,' Shane instructed, leaning his back against the wall and watching them expectantly. The two decided to just get the session over with. They helped each other learn to set up their new instruments, then proceeded to review what they had taught each other the day before.

They didn't have any questions that couldn't be answered by the other, so Shane just watched, impressed at how quickly they learned. By the end of the hour, Hermione had extended her rang by a good six notes, and Draco by seven. Their breathing and tone quality was audibly improving and so was their cooperation.

'You guys must have real musical talent to be able to pick up instruments this fast,' he said. 'Even I didn't learn this fast, and I knew how to play every instrument to some extent by the time I was twenty-five. But, of course, I started playing when I was eight so don't get too cocky,' he added with a smile.

'Too late for him,' Hermione joked, gesturing to Draco, earning a playful punch in the arm. He knew he had always come off really arrogant but, like he had said so many time recently, it was all an act. An annoying act the Dark Lord forced him to assume. Thinking about this made his face fall, and Hermione patted his arm understandingly.

'That's enough for today. So I'll see you tomorrow,' Shane said, putting his stool back in the kitchen.

'Actually,' Hermione said hopefully. 'Could we maybe make these sessions every _other_ day? Our new friends, Ari Burton and Vince Scheuron, go to this place called Young Actors Theater and we really wanted to go check it out. It sounded really fun and Ari said there was a chance that the director would let us join up,' Hermione suggested, smiling innocently at him.

'Oh, I know about YAT,' Shane said happily. 'I have season tickets. I go see all the shows there, even though I don't really know any of the people in it. I think it'd be really cool if you guys went there,' he said. Hermione and Draco beamed at him, waiting for his answer to their original question.

Sure,' Shane said after a moment of thoughtfulness. 'Considering your rapid progress, your musical commitment, and your obvious natural talent, I don't think you'd forget anything after one day. I hear you guys practice on your own anyway so that sounds acceptable. So I'll see you _day after _tomorrow,' he said. Then he departed with a wave and a smile, leaving Hermione and Draco alone again.

'Great. I'm going to take a nap. I'll need all the sleep I can get to make it through tonight's fight,' Draco said yawningly, remembering the fight with Britt at eleven o'clock that night.

'Me, too. I don't know how I'm going to survive a night without sleep,' Hermione said, following down the hall to his room. He looked at her curiously, please and surprised.

'So you've decided to come with me?' he said. She nodded. 'It'll be dangerous though. It's going to be a real fight, punches and all,' he cautioned. She rolled her eyes at him, putting her hands on her hips in annoyance.

'Draco, you know full well that I can take care of myself,' he said irately.

'With magic!' he said. 'You're not strong enough to take on Britt if he tries anything and you know it,' he said. Hermione sucked her teeth for a moment, refusing to look at him. She knew he was right.

By physical means, Hermione was practically a weakling! She may have been the best with a wand but when it came to hand-to-hand fighting, she was worse off than most people. By learning out of books and relying on cleverness, she had lost most of her muscle mass, leaving her very much unprotected without her wand.

'Hermione, I'm just worried about you,' he said, seeing that she was upset with him. 'You know I wouldn't be able to handle it if anything happened to you. I love you,' he said tenderly, kissing her on the forehead. She turned to smile at him, her love showing through in her eyes.

'That's why I have to come with you. I wouldn't be able to stand losing you, either,' she explained. 'If you go there alone, I'm going to be up all night worrying about you. I won't get any sleep either way. I might as well come with you. If things get too dangerous, I can always stun him then modify his memory. I can protect you just as well as you can protect me,' Hermione said stubbornly.

'Fine, you can come,' Draco said, smiling at her. That's one thing he loved about her; she was so strong willed. If she set her mind to something, there was no way you could talk her out of it.

They stood there for a moment, Hermione in Draco's arms. Soon, though, they were close to falling asleep standing up. Hermione pulled away, looking up at her boyfriend.

'Can I sleep with you?' she asked innocently.

'What?!' he exclaimed, alarmed at the prospect and shocked that Hermione, seeming so naïve, would ever suggest such a thing.

'Not that way,' she said rolling her eyes. 'I meant just like we did last night on the couch. It was comfy, secure. I liked it,' she admitted, giving him a small kiss and a hug.

'Okay, you can sleep in my bed,' he conceded. 'But we do need to set an alarm. I'd never wake up at 10:30 on purpose. We have roughly…five hours for sleeping,' he said. He laid down on the bed and patted the space next to him.

Hermione laid down beside him, facing away, and he put his arm around her waist. She leaned her head back against his chest, finding comfort in the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. It was very comfortable. They let their exhaustion and the coziness carry them off to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

_**BEEP BEEP**_

Draco jerked awake, unbalancing Hermione. They both sat up groggily. 'Well, it's 10:15. Time to get ready to battle the oaf,' Draco moaned. He was not looking forward to it. 'If you don't mind, I'm going to cast a wit sharpening charm on myself for the first few minutes. I need to get rid of this headache.'

Draco did just that, and felt his headache dissipate immediately. He sighed in relief. He hurried to change into something a little easier to move in. He chose a pair of stretch jeans, loose enough to move in but tight enough to stay on, and a tight black T-shirt. He might as well blend in.

Hermione changed as well. Formfitting jeans with a camouflage baby-T. Then she returned to Draco's room. He hadn't finished dressing yet. He was in the process of changing shirts, having already changed pants. She caught him at an inopportune moment, just as the old shirt was coming off. She felt a blush rise in her cheeks, but was unable to remove her eyes.

Draco had a flat, washboard stomach with a rippling six pack. His chest was muscle and tan, despite how pale and bony he used to be. Hermione had to admit that her boyfriend was smoking hot.

'_How was I, bookworm little Hermione, manage to catch that? He's like the perfect male specimen, or something,'_ she thought, marveling at her luck. By this time, Draco had slipped the other shirt on, though it was so tight it defined every distinct muscle in his chest, and turned to face her.

'You okay?' he asked, grinning at her, noting the blush coloring her cheeks. 'Just out of curiosity, how long have you been standing there?' he asked suspiciously.

'Just a moment or two,' she said, shaking herself mentally. She had just realized that she had been staring, and flushed even deeper because it. 'I didn't get a chance to glimpse anything if that's what you're wondering,' she said mischievously. Draco stared at her in mock offense.

'Hermione, I am surprised at your dirty little mind,' he said prissily. 'Just kidding, come here,' he said, gesturing for her to come. She did, and he gave her a small kiss and a hug. 'I love you.'

'I love you, too,' she murmured into his chest, breathing in his unique scent, and wishing never to move.

'Come on, we're going to be late if we don't hurry,' Draco said, getting slightly panicky. It was already 10:35 and the park was awhile away. 'I would apperate but I don't trust that Britt won't be in view,' he explained. They both pulled on their sneakers and nearly ran out the door.

'Draco, if we run all the way there, you'll be way too tired to fight well, you'll get pummeled, and you'll lose your reputation before you even have one,' Hermione gasped out. They slowed to a halt.

'Okay…I'll just apperate us a block down. That way I'm sure he won't see us and we won't have to walk nearly as far. Or run,' he panted. She grabbed hold of his hand tightly, and he centered his thoughts on the park they had seen on his way to school. Soon, they were gone, and then they were within sight of the park.

They walked the rest of the way cautiously, half expecting Britt to tackle them from any and every angle. Draco scanned the brush and trees, making sure that no one was hiding in them. When he was confident they were alone, he turned to Hermione.

'You should hide,' he said bluntly. Hermione gaped at him.

'I will do no such thing,' she refused indignantly, her hands on her hips. 'Why would I let you do the fighting alone? And why would you let me come if you wouldn't let me be within view? I need to be close enough to see if you're losing,' she said concernedly.

'Do you doubt me?' he asked. She shook her head contritely. 'Then don't worry so much. I'll be fine, love. And if I really need you, you'll be close enough. Just watch from that tree,' he said, pointing up at a huge, twisted old oak.

'Okay, but I won't like it,' Hermione said grumpily, but heading toward the tree nonetheless. She scrambled up it, sitting near the tip of one of the long curving branches, from which she had a good view of the area. He sat down to wait for Britt to show.

Draco checked his watch: 10:58. If Britt didn't show, Draco would be pissed. He had given up an entire night's sleep for this! As his watch struck 11:01, Britt stepped into the clearing. Draco stood up gracefully and surveyed the big thug.

He was about a half inch taller than he, a little more filled out in the chest. He probably weighed much more, like 160 lbs. Draco himself only weighed 120. He was lean and wiry, while this guy had obviously tried to impress someone by working out.

'About time. I was starting to think you were going to change your mind about our little fight,' Draco said smoothly, examining his fingernails in a bored sort of way. Britt scowled at him.

'Why would I back out, punk?' he asked, attempting to sound threatening. 'You're the one who should be scared. Chorus was just a lucky punch. A wimpy little band geek like you could never beat me,' he claimed brazenly. Draco raised an eyebrow at him. He came up with an idea.

Draco slowly, gently, carefully, wormed his way into Britt's mind using legilimency. He was a confused expression flit across his face, showing his discomfort and mystification about the sensation. He rummaged around in the memories and thoughts until he found something interesting.

'Oh, I'm the band geek, am I?' Draco asked composedly, looking him in the eye. 'I heard that you were a band geek once. Or, maybe you still are. Do you still have it?' he asked, feigning curiosity.

'Have what?' Britt asked, trying to conceal his nervousness. 'I don't know what you're talking about.'

'Don't you? I would've thought you'd remember playing the tuba for three years!' Draco said loudly. Britt looked around quickly and shushed him, looking oddly afraid.

'Shut up, will you,' he hissed. 'I gave that up, it was dumb. I switched to football,' he said. 'I'd rather be on the field than in the stands.'

'That's not what I heard,' Draco said tauntingly, wondering how much he could say without revealing his trick. 'I heard that you still have it, still play it sometimes. Don't tell me that's just for old time's sake.' He saw a definite flicker of anxiety flashing in Britt's eyes. He had hit a nerve.

'How did you find that out?' he demanded. When his query elicited no response, he changed to pleading. 'Never mind, just don't tell anyone. I have a reputation here and being a band geek does not fit in,' he whispered. Draco smirked slowly at him, the old smirk of superiority and arrogance he was so accustomed to.

'Maybe,' he said simple. 'Now are we going to fight or stand here talking all night?' he asked calmly, folding his arms across his chest and looking expectantly at him.

'Alright, you asked for it,' Britt said, hauling back for a punch. Before he could throw it, Draco jabbed him in the ribs just as he had in the chorus room. The effects were the same. Britt fell to his knees, wheezing and spluttering at Draco's feet.

'You're taking too much time with the recoil,' Draco said. 'You can get just as much power from a well placed poke than you can from a well thrown punch. But I can see your punches two seconds before they happen, giving me my window of opportunity,' Draco explained condescendingly. Britt glared at him, still out of breath.

'Get up, you git,' Draco said impatiently, hauling Britt to his feet. For a moment, Britt looked surprised that he had managed it, being smaller than he by a considerable amount. He recovered though and tried to throw a quick punch, taking Draco's advice about the element of surprise. It didn't work

Draco dodged the punch and sweep kicked Britt's feet out from under him, landing the boy flat on his back with a heavy thump. He leaned over his gasping form and smirked at him.

'Yeah, and _I'm _the wimp,' he said sarcastically. Britt roared at him, swinging his fist up unexpectedly. It caught Draco on the shoulder, sending him flying about two feet. He really could pack a punch. Instead of falling down as Britt had expected him to, Draco rolled over, back onto his feet and stood up massaging his shoulder.

'Much better,' he said approvingly. His air of authority was really starting to get on Britt's nerve. He heaved himself to his feet and set off at a dead run toward the smaller boy. Draco watched him calmly until he was only two feet away, then he reared back and punched him full on in the face.

Britt's own momentum added to the force. Britt was sent sprawling onto the ground, a purple bruise already showing around his mouth, and blood leaking from his nose. He moaned and coughed. Draco rubbed his knuckles, wincing. They would be bruised in the morning but he could fix that with a simple spell when they got home.

Britt sat up gingerly, and was obviously surprised that Draco was still standing, much less smirking at him with that damned condescending attitude. He reached up and felt his nose, tears springing to his eyes at the tenderness of it. It was possibly broken.

'Goddamn it, Malfoy,' he moaned. 'I think you broke my nose!'

'Yeah, well, you bruised my knuckles,' Draco said. 'We're even.' Britt stared at him like he was insane.

'I am so out of here,' he yelled. He jumped to his feet and hauled butt out of the park, speeding off in the direction he had come. As soon as he was out of ear shot, Draco burst out laughing, nearly doubling up. He heard Hermione jumping down from the tree and running to his side.

'Are you okay?' she asked worriedly. 'That was a nasty punch you got on the shoulder. And your knuckles will definitely be sore after that.' She examined his knuckles, then healed them with her wand. 'I'll check your shoulder when we get home. You must be tired, let me apperate us home.' Draco acquiesced, gripping her hand tightly.

As soon as they were in their living room, Hermione bustled him down on to the couch. 'Take off your shirt,' she ordered.

'Why?' he asked.

'I need to examine your shoulder to gauge the extent of the injury,' she said, as though it should have been obvious. It probably would have if she had used smaller words, no one could understand her when she used so many big words in a row.

'Hermione, you're a real sesquipedalian,' Draco said, pulling his shirt over his head nevertheless. He desperately tried to stop the blood from rushing to his cheeks, to little avail.

'What does that mean?' she asked, sitting down beside him. She began to gently prod and poke his shoulder, making him hiss in pain. It was already discoloring, turning purple and blue, and it was sore to the touch. That really must have been a brutal punch.

'You don't know?' he asked, pleased that he knew a word that she didn't. She rolled her eyes in annoyance, continuing to prod him. 'It means someone who likes big words. Or it also means one and a half feet long but I don't think that applies to you,' Draco explained, chuckling.

'Well, that first definition is correct,' Hermione said. 'I'll remember that word, it's impressive. Well, it does seem that your shoulder is just bruised. Badly bruised, but just bruised. It's too severe for just one time so I'll do a healing charm now and one later,' she said.

Hermione pulled out her wand and muttered a powerful healing charm on his arm. Draco sighed with relief as the pain began to dissolve, though an aching pain remained.

'Thanks,' he said.

'It's my job,' she said simply.

'No, it's not,' he said, confused.

'Yes, it is. It's every girlfriends' job to look out for her boyfriend,' she said, moving around to his other side and snuggling close. 'If you're hurt, it's my job to make the hurt go away,' she said sweetly. Draco smiled at her and kissed her on the forehead.

'I think it's time for us to go to bed,' he suggested. As if on cue, Hermione yawned widely, standing up and stretching.

'Right you are,' she said sleepily. 'Draco…?' she began, attempting to look cute and innocent. Draco sighed.

'Okay, you can sleep in my bed,' he said. 'But only if you get rid of this bruise. It's going to really hurt it I have to lay on it all night,' he whined. Hermione obediently cast another healing charm on his bruised shoulder, making it grow fainter until it disappeared completely. 'Thanks.'

'No problem. Now let's get some sleep, we have more school tomorrow,' Hermione said grimly. Draco moaned, the thought of another day of school filling him with dread.

'I'm not sure I can make it through another day,' he said, leading Hermione back to his room and collapsing on the bed, pulling her down with him.

'Just remember,' Hermione said, just before she fell asleep. 'Whatever we do, we do together. Wherever we go, we go together. We'll always be together.'

Hermione awoke curled comfortably in Draco's arms. She glanced at the clock and groaned. It was nearly seven o'clock. She carefully extricated herself from Draco's grip without waking him and hurried to change into more school-appropriate clothes.

She showered and dressed in a simple ensemble of dark jeans and a black and red baby-T. It might have seemed a little emo but it would hopefully keep any more guys from whistling at her. She doubted it would but it was worth a try. And she refused to let her looks getting appreciation put Draco into any more jealous rages.

She headed back into Draco's room to find him still sound asleep. Rolling her eyes, she shook him until he slapped her hands away, groaning loudly.

'Wake up, you lazy bum,' she said, shaking him harder. 'I need you to help me make that wit sharpening potion. We'll never make it through the day without it.' Draco finally sat up, rubbing his eyes.

'I don't wanna go to school!' he whined, sounding like he was seven, rather than seventeen. Hermione smiled indulgently at him.

'Well, this should cheer you up, give you something to look forward to: today we get to go see Young Actors with Ari and Vince, remember?' Draco's eyes snapped open and he smiled.

'Oh, yeah, that will make the day slightly less unbearable,' he said, trying to sound cheerful. 'Well, now that I'm awake, we might as well get started on that potion. Out, I need to get dress,' he said, shooing Hermione out. She left grudgingly.

Draco showered as well and dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt. _'We might as well match,' _he thought. When he entered Hermione's room, she was bent over a simmering cauldron, measuring ingredients. She looked up and smiled as he came in.

'Good, you're here,' she said, pulling him over to look at an open potions book. 'I need you to get the right quantity of these ingredients while I put them in,' she instructed. He did as she asked, measuring out each component on the list and placing aside.

It only took a half hour for them to have a completed wit sharpening potion. They each drank the recommended amount of potion and immediately felt more alert than they had before.

Hermione came up with the bright idea of reading their books to get the gist of the subject before they made fools of themselves. They spent another hour skimming through all of their course books until they had a firm basis of understanding.

The pair walked only to the park, smiling when they reached it, and then apperated to a concealed niche at the school. Then they proceeded to their lockers, conveniently placed directly beside Ari and Vince's. They grabbed their books and went to their first class.

Hermione and Draco made it through Language Arts very well. They answered all the questions right, finished their assignments first, and really put the rest of the class to shame. Their minds were working double-time and they were using them to full capacity. Next was chorus.

Now it was Draco's turn to be nervous. He had missed his scheduled placement audition and had to take it today, but the potion couldn't help him sing better. He entered Mrs. Hall's office reluctantly. He made it through his interview with less humiliation than previously expected. His voice was in the mid-tenor range and it wasn't bad.

He exited the office, smiled at Hermione in relief, and went to sit with the rest of his section. The rest of chorus was spent working on breathing exercises, vocal warm-ups, and tips and warnings relating to singing. All things considered, it was a fairly enjoyable class. Draco decided that he rather enjoyed it.

'Well, now we have to go to biology,' Hermione said. She had liked the class yesterday, no matter how badly she had done in it. It sounded intriguing, to learn about animals and plants and such. Sort of like Care of Magical Creatures. 'It sounds interesting enough, doesn't it?'

'If you say so,' Draco replied skeptically. Care of Magical Creatures had never really been his favorite subject, and not just because of Hagrid. 'Then social studies. That one's okay.'

In biology, all they did was take notes and fill out a diagram or two. Social studies was a lot of note-taking and lectures. It was a lot like History of Magic, but more attention-holding. At least this guy actually had inflections to his speech, not a constant monotone, and he didn't stay rooted to one spot, actually moved!

At lunch, they sat at the same table they had the day before, and Ari and Vince joined them soon after they got their food. 'So?' Ari asked as soon as she sat down, looking keenly at them.

'So…?' Hermione imitated, denoting a tone of confusion at her meaning. Ari sighed and rolled her eyes at her.

'So! Can you two come to YAT today?' she asked loudly, sounding a bit exasperated.

'YAT?' Draco asked.

'Young Actors Theater,' Vince explained. 'Y-A-T. YAT. It's just easier to say that "Young Actors Theater." And we call ourselves yatties. If you join, you can be a yattie, too,' he said happily. Draco thought it sounded a bit girly, but Hermione thought the nicknames were adorable.

'Thankfully, we managed to convince Shane to let us have our lessons every _other_ day so, yes, we can come see you at YAT today,' Hermione said happily. Ari squealed and Vince smiled and nodded at them.

'That's great! I'm sure Tina would let you in without making you pay tuition, or maybe at a discount. Or you could get a scholarship! A bunch of people get scholarships every year if their in financial trouble but have enough talent that we could use them."

"And once she hears you two sing, I'm sure she would give you a special scholarship. You two are great!' Vince said. Hermione blushed, looking down, but Draco smiled at him.

'Really?' he asked, sounding a bit amazed. 'I've never actually sung intentionally before today. I never knew I could sing at all. Shane set up our schedules and clearly he thought that, because we're good instrumentalists, we have to be good singers, too. Apparently, he was right,' he chuckled.

'Oh, he was,' Ari said. 'You rock! You're better than our Danny and Sandy,' she added sullenly. Hermione quirked an eyebrow at her. 'Mickey and Amy, who play Danny and Sandy in Grease at YAT, really aren't all that good. Honestly, I think you two are more talented than they are.'

'Wow, thanks, guys,' Hermione said sincerely. 'It means so much to us that you think so highly of us.'

'Yeah, maybe Tina will substitute us,' Draco said offhandedly. Then he smiled slyly. 'Just kidding…maybe.' Everyone laughed, then returned to their lunches, and other topics of conversation.

'Come on! You're going to make us late for the rehearsal!' Vince said, pulling Draco closer to the large pink building. Draco looked up at it, very wary of being seen entering a pink building such as this.

'Yeah. It's not like the other yatties are going to bite! We're really a very nice people,' Ari said jokingly, shuffling Hermione toward the door as well. The two allowed themselves to be pulled into the large pink building by their new friends, eyeing the people who passed by nervously.

They were led into a dark theater, actors running things up on the stage, and were left at the back. Ari and Vince ran down to the front of the theater, spoke to someone, then came running back, leading a woman. She had shoulder-length black hair, sharp features, thin and imposing.

'This is Tina,' Ari said happily, gesturing to the woman. Hermione shook her hand, as did Draco. 'Tina, this is Hermione Granger and this is Draco Malfoy,' Ari continued with the introductions. They raised their hands when their names were said, feeling awkward, like they were being sized up.

'We really think they would be good additions to the show,' Vince said optimistically. 'We were hoping you could maybe give them a private audition or something.' Tina looked them over appraisingly. Hermione squirmed under her intense, calculating gaze.

'Alright,' she said, her voice acute and a little grating. 'Show them to the music room, then return to your rehearsal. They're about to stage your song and it would be very unprofessional to be late, Miss Burton.' Ari nodded, took Hermione's hand, and led her back out of the theater.

Vince too Draco by the shoulder, and they were both led down a hallways, out a backdoor, up two flights of stairs, down another long hallway and into a room that contained a couch, a file cabinet, a desk, some shelves and a piano.

'This,' Ari said. 'is the music room. Tina will probably be up in a few minutes. You know, she's not really as mean as she looks,' she winked.

'We have to get back to our rehearsal,' Vince said. 'We'll see you later. Make sure to tell us if you got in.'

'Sure thing,' Draco said, smiling and waving. They were left alone. Hermione immediately sat down at the piano and began to play. 'What song is that, Hermione?' he asked curiously. 'Can you teach it to me?'

'It's called Pretty Minca,' she said, finishing up. 'Sure I'll teach you. It's not really all that hard, just fast. Here.' She began to teach him the top hand. They were interrupted a few minutes later by Tina entering the room.

'Well, I have heard great things about you from Ariel and Vince,' she said, shooing them out of the big comfy chair in front of the piano and into smaller metal folding chairs. 'I'm going to have you sing something from Grease, you should both know it, and then have you dance a little,' she said. Draco tensed. He hadn't known they would need to dance.

Hermione, feeling his nervousness, gripped his hand and whispered in his ear. 'Remember, whatever we do, we do together. Wherever we go, we go together. We'll always be together.' She felt him relax and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

'I'm sure you guys know 'We Go Together' because everyone who's ever seen Grease knows that song,' Tina said, sitting down at the piano and pulling out a Grease music book. 'You'll each sing a piece of it, then a piece together, alright?' They nodded. 'Hermione first.'

They both sang beautifully, Tina looked most impressed, but the dancing was a bit harder. Neither of them had had any dancing experience before, besides ballroom dancing in their fourth year. They did their best, though, and Tina said that Ari and Vince could help them. She agreed to let them in the show, though she wasn't sure if they would get parts.

Hermione and Draco went back downstairs in a very good mood, both surprised they had gotten in. It was even being talked about that they would get leads, even though the show had already been cast. They decided to sneak into the rehearsal and watch Ari's song being blocked.

They had already blocked the scene and were running through it. The couple sat in the back row, watching with fascination as Ari sang her heart out on 'Freddy, My Love', Hermione's favorite Grease song. 'She's good,' Hermione whispered, about halfway into the song. 'She's very good. I wonder why she didn't get Sandy.'

'Maybe Sandy's better,' Draco whispered back, though doubting it. 'Or maybe she was the only one who could act the part,' he said, chuckling. 'It means a lot that someone that good would say we were good, doesn't it?'

'Yeah,' Hermione said quietly. They turned back and watched the rest of the scene in appreciative silence. Afterward, they all sat in the audience, listened to a directors' speech or two, then filed out into the lobby, chatting and singing. Hermione thought they seemed a pleasant lot.

They met up with Ari and Vince outside on the porch. 'So? Did you get in?' Ari asked excitedly.

'Yes, we both got in the show,' Hermione said happily. The girls both squealed, hugged and jumped a bit. Vince and Draco watched on, eyebrows raised.

'Why do girls always get that excited?' Vince asked.

'We'll never know, mate, we'll never know,' Draco sighed.

'Congrats! Are you just going to be extras or chorus or what?' Vince asked, turning to smile at him.

'We don't know. Tina said she would call us. She's actually considering giving us leads, even though it was a late audition,' Draco said, his astonishment showing through in his voice.

'Told you you two were good,' Vince said, sounding impressed. He clapped him on the back and pulled him into a hug. Draco found this a little odd but hugged him back anyway.

'Oh, Vince, let him go!' Ari cried, slapping him playfully on the arm and grinning at him. 'He's not a YAT boy yet. I swear,' she added to Draco. 'The guys around here are the gayest straight guys you'll ever meet. We always joke that all the guys at YAT are at least a little bit gay. They're dancers! They have to be gay!' They all laughed.

'I can see that,' Hermione said, glancing around at the other guys on the porch. There were at least two guys that were clearly gay, whether they knew it or not. Hermione always had a knack at telling when a man was gay or not.

'Well, congratulations anyway,' Ari said. 'We'll see you at school tomorrow. Make sure to tell us what parts you get!' With that, Ari and Vince left to go to Subway down the street, leaving Hermione and Draco to walk/apperate home.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Everything was going well. Hermione and Draco had finally caught up with the rest of their classmates, they had Vince and Ari to teach them about the status quo and things like that, though they rarely paid attention to that, and their lessons with Shane were really helping.

Even chorus was turning out to be fun. Their voices were developing and so were their social skills. Once the others got past their curiosity, Hermione and Draco found that everyone was rather intrigued by their accents and they made friends quickly. They were rather popular.

When Britt came back to school two days after his and Draco's 'encounter' with a broken nose, skirting Draco in the halls and actually not bullying anyone, it caused quite a stir. Draco refused to comment on it and Britt was hardly speaking at all. All that put Draco in a very good mood.

'Hermione, Draco!' Ari yelled, running toward them at lunch. 'Tina said to tell you to come to YAT today. She has your parts!' She collapsed across from them, panting but smiling.

'Really?' Hermione asked, nervous and excited at the same time. 'Why couldn't you just tell us?'

'We don't know your parts,' Vince said, sitting down beside Ari. 'But we think they must be good because she said that she needed to kick some other people down a few notches.' Draco punched the air with his fist.

'Woo!' he said triumphantly. 'We got good parts in the first play we've ever been in. Wow, that's impressive. Who do you think we are?'

'I think you're a T-bird and a Pink Lady,' Ari piped up. 'She otherwise she wouldn't have had to change someone else's part. If you had been a teen or an extra or a featured performer or something she just would've added you. You must have a predefined character that there can't be more than one of,' she reasoned.

'Wicked,' Hermione said. She gave Draco a quick kiss and a high five. 'This is too much. I've never had to memorize lines or anything. I was never even in any school plays,' she added worriedly, wringing her hands in her lap.

'Hermione, we'll be fine. Remember, I have a few methods to help with memorization,' he said, adding a discreet wink. She nodded, mollified but still nervous. He put his arm around her and she sighed happily. Ari let out a loud 'aw' and Hermione looked at her.

'It's just…you two are so cute!' she squeaked. Hermione was reminded forcibly of Lavender jumping up and down on the spot and clapping her hands in delight when she had first seen Harry and Ginny kiss, and she laughed. 'What's so funny?' Ari asked, as though Hermione had been making fun of her.

'Nothing, it's just that you reminded me of a girl from my old school,' she answered still chuckling.

'Who?' Draco asked.

'Lavender,' she said, looking up at him. He nodded and smiled, chuckling slightly.

'Yeah, I can see that,' he said. Ari glanced from one to the other suspiciously, unsure if this comparison was insulting or complimentary. She seemed to let it go, though, as she rolled her eyes and turned back to her lunch.

'So we just go straight to YAT after school?' Hermione asked tentatively, as though the entire deal had expired during their distraction.

'Yeah, we'll take you to her office,' Vince said. 'I hope you guys can memorize fast enough,' he added worriedly. 'Me and Ari already have the majority of our lines memorized. You think you can do it?'

'Of course we can,' Hermione said, more to reassure herself then everyone else. 'It can' be that hard. It's not like we're going to get the leads, or anything.'

As soon as the bell rang that afternoon, Hermione, Draco, Ari and Vince were sprinting toward YAT, excitement, anticipation, and anxiety fueling their energy. They reached the large pink building in record time, all four of them puffing and wheezing.

'Okay…her office is through…that door…right there,' Vince panted, pointing at one of the two white doors off the lobby. 'Catch your breath first. Don't want you to seem too overly eager,' he added with a smile, seeing their flushed faces.

Draco and Hermione took a moment to smarten themselves up, straightening their hair and clothes, regulating their breathing, suppressing their frantic suspense. They took a deep breath, looked at Ari and Vince, who smiled encouragingly, and stepped over the threshold.

Tina was sitting behind a cluttered desk reading over what looked like a script. She looked up when they entered and, smiling, gestured that they sit in the two chairs situated across from her. They did so, smiling back at her nervously.

'You two got my message?' she asked.

They nodded.

'Good. This was a very difficult decision and I've put a lot of thought into it. You two are very talented, though inexperienced, and we had a few actors who, though also talented, had attitudes left something to be desired. You guys have great attitudes, eagerness, raw talent, all the things needed for great stars. So I have cast you as…' She paused for dramatic tension. Hermione edged forward in her seat and Draco gripped her hand tightly.

'Danny and Sandy!' Tina yelled, beaming at the pair of them.

They stared at her in a state of shocked disbelief. They looked at each other, their worries and fears reflected clearly in their eyes, then back at Tina, who didn't notice the anxiety at all.

'Th-the leads?' Hermione choked out, exerting a grip so tight on Draco's hand that he winced in pain. 'The _leads?_'

'Don't you think that's a little, er, hasty, Ms. Williams?' Draco said reasonably. 'After all, we have no experience whatsoever, we've never been in any other shows-'

'Oh, I have complete faith in you,' Tina said confidently. 'Ari and Vince, both talented and experienced, can help you get acclimated and trained up a bit, and you've already got the talent. What's the problem? You'll be amazing! Here are the scripts and a copy of the rehearsal schedules,' Tina said, thrusting the stacks of papers into their hands and shuffling them out the door. 'Bye!'

Hermione stood frozen, staring blankly at the closed door of the office they had just vacated. 'Draco? What just happened?' she asked quietly, almost fearing the answer, hoping it would change. Her stage fright was swooping lower and lower, threatening to overtake her at any moment.

'I'm not sure,' he said slowly, also still staring at the door. He turned around, gazing in disbelief at the script in his hands, and came face to face with Ari, who was almost beside herself with excitement.

'So?' she asked loudly, causing Hermione, who had momentarily forgotten she was there, to jump and spin around. 'What parts did you get? Come on, tell us! We're dying over here!' she squealed, her face inches from Draco's, Vince looking amused behind her.

'Calm down, Ari,' he said, pulling her back by the shoulder. 'I'm sure they won't leave us hanging for long…So?' he added, looking at them expectantly.

Unable to speak, Hermione silently held out her script to Ari. Draco, following her lead, handed his over to Vince. Both teens only had to glance at the words across the top of the scripts before they understood. Ari clapped her hand to her mouth and let out a muffled scream and Vince looked flabbergasted and impressed.

'_Sandy?!_' Ari gasped, astonished, staring from the script, to Hermione, and back again. Hermione gave her a guilty smile and shrugged helplessly.

'_Danny?!'_' Vince said in the same incredulous tone. But he was smiling when he looked up at Draco. He thumped him on the back in congratulations, beaming at him. 'Good going, Draco! Great job. You'll be great, I just know it!'

'Sandy? Wow, Hermione, that's great!' Ari said, finally accepting this spectacular turn of events. 'I just know you'll be fabulous. And Sandy's supposed to have a bit of an accent already so yours won't matter very much,' she added brightly, pulling Hermione into a tight hug.

Hermione seemed to be the slowest in accepting this. Her brain felt fuzzy, clogged, stopped. How could this be happening to her? How was she supposed to be the lead role in an amazing play with no experience and almost no warning? Was having talented friends helping you enough? Would she and Draco be able to memorize all their lines in time?

'Well, there is one thing that's pretty cool about this,' she said, beaming at Draco.

'What?' Draco asked her curiously, putting his arms around her

'Our situation is sort of similar to theirs, don't you think?' she said happily.

'Really?' he said, looking thoughtful.

'Yeah. I'm a bookworm and you acted different around your friends than you did around me,' she said. As he considered this she turned to Ari and Vince to explain. 'When I first met him he was the biggest git you could ever meet, I would have gone so far as to say evil at the time. I hated him with a passion for the first six years I knew him.

'Then we found some common ground, I actually spoke to him, and we really hit it off. He was all aloof and mean whenever his friends were around, but as soon as we had to be alone together he was completely different. I managed to get him to act normally around everyone else and now he doesn't have to pretend anymore,' she said, beaming at him adoringly. He gave her shoulders a little squeeze and kissed the top of her head.

'That does sound like Danny and Sandy! How fitting,' Vince said, clapping Draco on the shoulder and leading him to the door. Hermione and Ari followed. 'You guys need to get some dance attire. Jazz pants, dance tops, jazz shoes for Draco, character shoes for Hermione, that sort of thing. You can get most of that at Dance Now or online.'

'We'll loan you some of our clothes until you get some. I think we're about the same size, Hermione,' Ari said, looking at her scrupulously. 'But you may just have to wait until they shoes come because I think your feet are smaller than mine.'

'Right. So the first rehearsal is tomorrow at four o'clock. See you then,' Vince said, waving at them and setting off down the road, Ari skipping alongside him, leaving the new leads alone again.

Neither of them said anything for a moment or two, just gaped in astonishment at the scripts they still held in their hands. Hermione opened her mouth to say something but the words died in her throat so she closed it again. Her mind was in overdrive, thinking over all the possible problems, all the things that could go wrong, and she was losing confidence every second.

'How did…why did she…what just happened?' she asked again, her voice sounding small and timid even to her. Draco looked her in the eyes, seeing once again the fear and trepidation shining in the honey orbs, sure the look was reflected in his own, and smiled in what he hoped was a happy and reassuring way.

'Apparently we're…good,' he said simply. 'I don't know how or when it happened, but we are good. She likes us. We got the leads. Honestly, I have no idea how this happened but let's just be glad it did, okay? We'll be fine. We can use memory spells to help us memorize our lines, we can practice our dances together. We have a big advantage with magic. We'll do great,' he said, as much to reassure himself as his panicking girlfriend.

Hermione took a few deep breaths and smiled back. She threw her arms around his neck and murmured, 'Thanks, I needed that.' He stroked her back and turned on the spot, disappeared, and reappeared in his bedroom.

'Let's just take a nap, a little break to clear our heads,' he said, flopping down on the bed and pulling Hermione down with him. 'We have a lesson with Shane in an hour so we should take full advantage of our little free time.'

'Oh, I wish I had my timeturner back,' Hermione moaned, cuddling closer to his chest. 'Then we could have as much time for everything as we need instead of having to rush around and panic.'

'Don't I wish,' Draco chuckled.

'You know, we can sleep tonight. I think we should use this time to start memorizing our lines. With the use of a few well placed spells I think we could have them all memorized by tomorrow. I need to get rid of my accent and you need to soften yours but I bet there are spells for that, too,' Hermione said, hopping up and plunging her hand into her pocket for her wand.

'Right,' Draco sighed, sitting up reluctantly and looking at the words on his script for the first time. 'So I'm the bad boy? And you're the bookworm goody-two-shoes? How appropriate. Makes getting into character much easier. What are those accent spells? I can't be a very good Danny with a British accent, now, can I?' he chuckled.

Hermione sat down across from him, pointing her wand into his face, and said, 'Retire Acento.' He felt a pleasant tingling in his throat and mouth and he smiled.

'Well, did it work?' He gasped. His accent was gone! He sounded like he had been born and raised in America. 'Whoa! That is so cool! Okay, what's the one for you? Do you want your accent to be gone or just softened?'

'I don't know. She is supposed to have an accent but it's more of an Australian accent than a British one. What do you think?' she asked thoughtfully.

'I think you should just take it off entirely,' he said. 'Then you can add another one if you want it. We can get our accents back, can't we?' he added apprehensively.

'Yes, we can. These charms need weekly reinforcement or you will revert to your old accents. They also have countercharms so you can just take it off. Okay, you can do mine. Just point your wand at my mouth and say "Retire Acento."' she said.

Draco rummaged around for a moment and removed his wand from his pocket, pointed it at Hermione and said the incantation. She smiled as she, too, felt the tickling sensations spreading through her throat, mouth and jaw.

'Well? How do I sound?' she asked enthusiastically. Then she laughed. Her accent had disappeared, too. 'That _is_ cool!' she laughed. Draco laughed with her and gave her a hug.

'Wow! This is going to take some definite getting used to. Okay, what are the memory spells?' he asked, relishing the odd feeling of hearing what seemed to be someone else's voice issuing from his own mouth.

Hermione placed the tip of her wand to her temple and said, 'Realce Memória.' The tip of her wand glowed white for a moment and then faded. She repeated her actions with Draco. A warm glow spread from the tip of her wand on his temple and the room seemed to come into sharper focus. His mind was sharper than it usually was, absorbing every detail of everything around him. It was an interesting feeling.

'Great. Let's read through our one-on-one scenes,' he said, pulling his script closer to him and finding their first individual conversation.

They read through the scenes they shared, read the cue lines for each other, helped with inflections and attitudes, and basically memorized their lines and the blocking that was written in. The spells allowed them to take in twice as much as they normally could, allowing them to memorize the entire script by the time Shane showed up.

'I hear you're starting marching band next week,' he said as he pulled up the same kitchen stool he always sat on. 'You'll need to memorize all of your music. You won't have any music stands on the field but you'll start out with music clips on your instruments.'

Draco and Hermione stood up and hefted their instruments, having been told to practice standing up. Much grumbling and complaining had ensued after their band instructor had ordered this but they all obeyed anyway.

'Do you have the music with you?' Hermione asked. They planned to take full advantage of their memory charms. They could shoot two birds with one stone. 'We could start memorizing it now.'

'Sure. Here you go,' Shane said, handing them each three sheets of complicated music. He watched them scan the music a few times, fingering along separately, then they looked up and smiled. 'You ready to try it? I have a recording for you to play along with so you'll have all the parts.' He pushed play on the recording.

The song started out slow and mournful, gradually building up tension using rests and dissonance. Then it suddenly switched to an upbeat fiesta-style section with many trills and near-octave jumps. Then it dropped low again, before building tension once again to an abrupt, dissonance ending chord, leaving a sense of excitement and tension in the air. They played it perfectly from memory. Shane was nothing less but astounded.

'How did you do that?' he asked, thunderstruck, staring from one to the other. Hermione and Draco exchanged worried glances.

'We, uh, memorize really fast?' Draco said uneasily. It was true, in a way, but it just wasn't quite natural.

'That was amazing! I've never seen anyone memorize music that fast, or play it perfectly the first time through!' Shane said excitedly. 'And how your accents disappeared overnight! You guys are so cool! You're just full of surprises, aren't you?'

'Yeah, full of surprises,' Hermione muttered, avoiding his eyes. They went back to practicing, playing it near perfect every time, just making sure it was all cemented in their minds. Shane was still dwelling on their amazing 'memories.'

Hermione collapsed on the couch after returning their instruments to their respective cases and putting them back in their rooms. 'I can't believe it! He is so suspicious,' she moaned. 'We need to be more careful about the evidence of our enchantments.'

'Yeah, we do,' Draco agreed, flopping down next to her. 'But I bet I can get your mind off it,' he said, his voice low and suggestive. Hermione smiled up at him and giggled.

'I'll bet you can,' she whispered.

Hermione leaned up and kissed Draco gently. He placed a hand on her cheek and pulled her into his lap. She smiled against his lips and draped her arms around his neck. He deepened the kiss, wrapping an arm around her waist and slipping his tongue into her mouth to do gentle battle with hers.

It was a sweet, gentle kiss, filled with meaning and tenderness. They didn't get to spend much alone time together lately due to their increasingly difficult and immense load of homework, their challenging instrumental lessons, and now YAT. They were spending more time working than they were anything else and it was starting to wear them down.

They broke apart, panting and flushed, but they sustained eye contact. They tried to convey all of their feelings, both said and unsaid, through their eyes, all the things they couldn't put into words. They shared one more light kiss and were content to just hold each other.

Hermione, reluctant though she was to break the loving silence, her sense overpowering her comfortableness, spoke. 'We should probably run through our lines again, then go to bed. We have a big day tomorrow.'

Draco moaned, remembering all the things they needed to do the next day, and stood up, stretching. 'If we must,' he muttered, dragging himself into his bedroom, Hermione following in his wake.

They had been sharing Draco's room almost every night since they had arrived in America. They didn't do anything, just slept cuddled together comfortably. They saw nothing wrong with this, and Hermione used her room for storage of her clothes and private things. It was a comfy and cozy arrangement that they both enjoyed.

The couple ran through the entire play again, without their scripts, perfectly, and got dressed for bed. Draco wore silk pajama pants but no shirt, and Hermione wore a flannel tank top and shorts. They slept back to front, Hermione curled contentedly against his chest, his arms around her slender waist.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

Hermione woke but stayed where she was, giving herself a moments content respite from her busy life. She melted back into Draco's arms and sighed. He stirred, yawned, and kissed her temple.

'Morning, beautiful,' he breathed in her ear, sending gentle shivers down her spine.

'Wow. That new accent is really something different to wake up to,' she giggled, noticing her own as well as she sat up and stretched. 'Well, I guess we should get dressed-' she began.

'Hermione, it's Saturday!' Draco moaned, collapsing back onto the bed tiredly. 'Can't we just stay in bed?'

'No, we can't! I arranged for us to meet up with Ari and Vince to go shopping for our dance supplies. You didn't forget about our rehearsal, did you?' she asked sternly.

'No, no, I didn't,' he sighed. 'I'm just not so sure this is going to work out very well. But, luckily, that spell must have worked because I remember everything we did yesterday in vivid detail. All of our scripts, all of our marching band music, every single detail of everything we did. It gets a little annoying, don't you think?'

'Yeah, a bit,' she admitted. 'I'm gonna go shower and get dressed now, kay? Kay.' Then she headed back to her room. She showered quickly and dressed in white Capri's and a flowing, light blue, floral tank top. She threw in blue pumps, a white purse, and blue-themed makeup and headed back to Draco's room.

He had showered as well and dressed in light jeans, a lavender T-shirt and sneakers. He kissed her as he passed her in the doorway, then whistled all the way to the kitchen. Hermione followed behind him, giggling all the way, and began to make breakfast.

'Well, you seem particularly happy for having not wanted to get out of bed this morning,' she said teasingly. He smiled at her.

'Let's just say that shopping sprees have always cheered me up,' he said simply. Hermione giggled again. 'What's so funny about that?'

'Nothing,' she lied. He gave her a look and she caved. 'Oh, come on, that was funny! You, the Ice-Hearted Prince of Slytherin, Hogwarts Bad Boy, and self-proclaimed shopper!' she said overdramatically. Even Draco had to chuckle at that.

'Okay, it did sound kinda funny but you don't have to laugh!' he said defensively. 'And I just meant that shopping sprees are a chance for me to hang out with the women that I love. Meaning my mother when I was a child and now you.'

'Now, _that_ earned you some brownie points,' Hermione giggled, kissing his on the cheek as she slid bacon and eggs onto his plate. 'If you don't mind, I'm gonna send an owl to Harry and Ron. They're probably furious that I haven't written to them in so long.' He nodded.

Hermione summoned some parchment, a quill, ink, and sat down at the table. It felt odd to write on they heavy parchment with a quill again after a month of writing with pen and pencil on the smooth, plastic-y feeling paper. She thought for a moment, dipped her quill.

Dear Harry and Ron,

Hey, guys! How are you, Ginny, Neville and Luna progressing on your instruments? You are practicing, I hope! Getting through your homework without me somehow?

We're doing wonderfully in all our classes, we're fairly popular (something I never experienced at Hogwarts). It's fun! Oh, and we got rid of our accents so we sound thoroughly American now. It takes some getting used to.

Our mentor, Shane, has had us playing each others' instruments for the past few weeks, to improve our musicianship. It's working wonders! We're getting so much better so fast! And now for the real reason I'm writing in the first place:

I have some big news for you guys to hear! Me and Draco are performers now! And not instrumentalists either. We're starring in Grease at Young Actors Theater, and then we're going to audition for the school play as well.

Cool, huh?

With all my love,

Hermione J. Granger

Hermione, satisfied, waved her wand again, this time producing a hawk owl. She tied the letter to its leg, gave it its instructions, and threw it out the window. Then she plopped back down across from Draco, who had already finished his breakfast, and started in on her food.

'We're supposed to meet up with Vince and Ari in front of Dance Now in an hour,' Hermione said through a mouthful of eggs. 'We should probably take some money, and be prepared to try things on, Draco, don't be embarrassed about it,' she advised. She looked thoughtful for a moment. 'Can I call you Drake? Draco is a little harder to say without a British accent for some reason, isn't that weird?' she asked.

'Sure, why not?' he said. 'But only if I can call you Maya.' She nodded, unable to speak due to the bacon stuffing her mouth. 'Great.'

They stood up, put their dishes in the sink, and apperated to YAT. They had to be sure to apperate somewhere that no one would see them, so they chose behind the sheds in the back parking lot. They snuck out and through the back door to meet up with Ari and Vince on the front porch.

'Hey, Ari,' Hermione said, hugging the girl from behind.

'Hi, whoever you are,' Ari responded in confusion.

'Oh, you don't recognize my voice, do you?' Hermione giggled, still not letting the other girl get a glimpse of her. 'It's me! Hermione! Well, I'm Maya now. We practiced all night and got rid of our accents. Takes some getting used to, though,' she said, letting go of Ari, who whipped around to face her.

'Wow! That's so cool,' she exclaimed, gaping at them. 'You, too, Draco?' she asked, turning to him.

'Actually, I'm just Drake now. It's easier to say,' he said, making sure his lack of accent was noticeable. Ari squealed, hugging him as well. 'Yeah, glad to see you, too,' he choked out.

'How did you do that so fast?' Vince asked, putting his hand on Draco's shoulder. 'That's pretty cool.'

'Just practice, you know,' Draco shrugged. 'Now, are we going shopping or what?'

'Oh, right! Come on, we're gonna have to walk 'cause we don't have cars yet,' Vince said. The group walked, laughing and joking, all the way to the large store with a big sign saying 'Dance Now' over the entrance.

'First you'll need dance shoes,' Ari said, immediately taking charge and leading them to the counter. 'What sizes do you wear?'

'Sevens,' Hermione replied.

'Tens,' Draco said.

Ari turned back to the girl at the counter. 'We need a pair of men's jazz sneakers, size nine, and a pair of women's character shoes, size six,' she said. The girl nodded and led them to a rack of shoes.

'Ari, we said seven and ten, not six and nine,' Draco pointed out.

'I know, but for dance shoes you order one size smaller than street shoes,' she said. They looked puzzled. 'Hey, I'm not the one who makes the catalogues.'

The girl handed them each a pair of shoes. They slipped them on. They fit perfectly. Hermione hobbled around a moment, trying to get used to the one-inch high heels, and Draco walked a bit, too, just to get used to the comfort and support the new shoes offered.

'These are great,' he exclaimed. 'Can I wear these all the time?' Vince laughed.

'I did that for a while, too,' he said. 'But believe me, Britt'll be on you like flies to a dead pig,' he chuckled.

'No, he won't,' Draco said unconcernedly, still examining the shoes.

'I wore mine to school one day and he beat me up for being a "wimpy dancer",' Vince said. 'He hates dancers.'

'I know. But he won't come after _me_. Not now anyway.' Vince and Ari looked puzzled and a little worried. 'You remember our first day here? In chorus? When me and Britt got in a small fight?' They nodded. 'Yeah, well, on our way to the principal's office we made an appointment for a real fight.' Ari gasped.

'No! He could have killed you!' she squealed worriedly.

'Oh, no, he couldn't,' Draco chuckled. 'We fought at eleven that night in the park down the street. I kicked his royal butt! That's why he didn't come back for a few days. I broke his nose, and his dignity. I was giving him tips through the whole thing on how to improve his weak fighting skills,' he chuckled.

'You're the on that beat up Britt Lewis?' Vince asked, sounding almost reverent. 'That's amazing! If you just let that out you'd be the most popular guy in school!'

'But I already am,' he said. 'Britt's avoiding me, and my refusing to comment on it, lent an air of mystery, and certainty, to the story. It's a widely believed fact, though no one's ever confirmed it.'

'Right,' Hermione said, rolling her eyes. 'Can we keep these shoes on before we buy them, just to see how they look with the outfits and stuff?' she asked, turning to Ari.

'Uh, sure,' she said, leading her over to a rack of clothes. 'Now this is the girls' section. The guys can go shop on their own,' she said, waving the boys off to the other side of the store. 'Now what you need…'

An hour and a half, and many basketfuls of clothes, later, Hermione and Draco were fully stocked and equipped for the rehearsals. Ari and Vince had gotten a few more things, as well, just because they had the opportunity. All the clothes were very comfortable, as were the shoes, but they kept them in the bags on the way home.

'You guys want to come over to our house?' Hermione asked on impulsive. Draco shot her a look. 'Well, it's not like we leave it messy. Not with Shane coming around almost every day,' she said, returning his glance.

'Sure,' Ari accepted, following the others as they walked straight past YAT and down the road even farther. 'We'd love to see your house! I don't go over to peoples' houses very often. And I'd love to see your instruments! I've never gotten to play an instrument, can I try one?'

'Okay,' Draco said, chuckling at her enthusiasm. 'You can try Hermione's flute. That way I don't have to break out a new reed.' Hermione rolled her eyes but didn't comment.

'Here we are, home sweet home!' Hermione said, racing to their front door to unlock it, and check that they hadn't left anything magical out of place. They hadn't, so she led them through the small kitchen and into the living room.

'So, who else stays here?' Ari asked, sitting on the couch, looking around happily. Vince and Draco pulled up the bar stools and sat down, leaning backward onto the bar.

'No one,' Hermione said, sitting next to her. 'Just me and Drake.' Ari stared at her.

'They let two minors live together alone?' she asked in disbelief. 'That is like, whoa! I thought that was like illegal!'

'Well, in our old…community,' Hermione faltered. 'We came of age at seventeen, and they understand that, so we're considered adults?' she said slowly, hoping they would buy it and not ask questions.

'That's awesome!' Vince said. 'I wish me and Ari could live alone together,' he said. Ari raised an eyebrow at him. 'I mean, uh, not to…never mind,' he babbled, blushing. Ari laughed at him.

'Just kidding! I'd love to live with you! But you don't have to be so suggestive about it, we're in polite company,' she scolded playfully.

'Right,' Vince said embarrassedly. 'So, uh, you were going to show us those instruments?' he reminded, hurriedly changing the subject. Hermione jumped up, ran to her room, and brought out her flute.

'Here it is.' She showed them how to assemble it and helped them each to make a noise. 'Not too bad. You want a real demonstration?' she asked, glancing at Draco, who nodded discreetly. They nodded eagerly.

Draco hurried to assemble his saxophone and sat down beside her. They counted off and began playing their signature song, 'My Heart Will Go On.' It was perfect, their newfound musicianship playing a big part. Ari and Vince were spellbound. Being musicians of a sort, they could identify and appreciate talented players when they heard them.

As soon as they finished their song, the others applauded enthusiastically, Ari actually jumping to her feet to do so. 'That was amazing! You guys are just all around talented, aren't you?' she squealed.

Draco stood up and took an elegant bow and Hermione laughed at him. 'That was the first thing we ever played together,' he said.

'Really? How romantic,' Vince teased. Hermione pulled Draco down beside her and began putting her flute away.

'Well, actually, we hated each other at the time. We had hated each other for six years! But since we were the leading students, we were forced to share a dormitory. I had never told anyone but my family, not even my friends, that I played flute-'

'And I hadn't even told my parents,' Draco interjected.

'-so Drake was the first to find out. They had just introduced the band class that morning and I was the only person who played the flute so I offered to demonstrate. Drake did the same with sax.

'Then I was playing that song out on the balcony that night and Draco sat down and started playing harmony, without even letting me know he was there. Scared me half to death, he did,' she said, giving him a half smile. 'Then we had a long little heart-to-heart and learned more about each other. Turns out, we had a lot more in common than we thought.'

Draco leaned in and gave her a soft kiss, eliciting a well-deserved 'aw' from the other couple.

'Our meeting wasn't nearly that romantic,' Vince chuckled. 'We met at YAT through friends, became friends ourselves, and I eventually asked her out. Simple as that. But I never regret a minute of it,' he said tenderly. He, too, kissed Ari, and Hermione and Draco mirrored them with an 'aw.'

'So…what else you want to do?' Drake asked slowly. No one answered. In the silence, they heard a tapping noise. Ari and Vince looked around curiously. Hermione managed to distract them before they could see the snowy owl tapping on the window.

'Uh, who wants a tour of the house?' she said hurriedly. 'Drake will take you around and show you the rest of the house,' she said, ushering the other three into the hall. As soon as they were out of sight, she threw open the window.

'Hedwig,' she breathed, pulling the letter off of her outstretched leg. 'Why would Harry write back so soon?' she mused. Hedwig sat down to watch her read the letter.

Dear Hermione,

That's great! Me, Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna are all doing really great in band. But there's something a little more pressing going on over here.

Hogwarts is being infiltrated! It's slow and quiet, most people don't notice, but the policies are getting more and more like they were with Umbridge, but I'm sure they won't stay that tame for long.

Me and Ron are sure that Voldemort's behind it, as usual. But there's really nothing we can do about it until we have all the Horcruxes, which we don't. It's bad, and getting worse by the day.

It's not too long before the DA group will want to go into open rebellion mode! It's going to be dangerous if Voldemort calls in all his Death Eaters. If that happens, we're going to need you and Malfoy ASAP.

Sorry to disrupt your new life,

Harry P, and Ron W.

Hermione gaped at the letter. She stuffed it in her pocket and rushed down the hall, telling Hedwig to stay out of sight for the time being. She found the others sitting in Draco's room, talking about nothing.

'There you are!' Draco said, striding over to her. He dropped his voice to a low whisper. 'Was that Harry's answer? What'd be say?'

'I'll tell you in a minute,' she whispered back. She turned to the others. 'Guys, do you think we could continue this at the rehearsal? We'll meet you in like forty-five minutes, kay?' They nodded and trooped out.

Hermione collapsed on the bed, not bothering to say anything, just handing him the letter. He read it in silence, but gaped at it as though it had mutated.

'That's…that's horrible,' he gasped incredulously. 'I knew he was powerful but I never thought he'd actually get into Hogwarts.' Hermione grunted her agreement. 'Well, it's definitely going to be hard to focus on school now,' he said, trying to lighten the mood.

Seeing that this had no effect on Hermione, he sighed. 'You know that if things get really bad, they won't hesitate in contacting us. They wouldn't leave you out of the loop. The Golden Trio becoming the Diamond Duo just wouldn't make the cut for the papers.' This time, Hermione allowed herself a weary chuckle.

'Well, I guess there's no point in worrying about it now,' she sighed. 'I'll send our support in a return letter, maybe some advice, and then we should probably get dressed and head over to YAT.' Draco nodded.

Hermione went back to the kitchen, scribbled a response on another piece of conjured parchment, and sent Hedwig off again. Harry must have bewitched Hedwig to move extra fast, because she was out of sight within seconds.

Hermione headed back to her room, pulled on a pair of hose, her new Capri dance pants, her new white and pink layer tank top, and her brand new character shoes. She threw her hair into a bun and stopped by Draco's room.

He was in long dance pants, a tight white T-shirt, and his new jazz shoes. They both packed their new dance bags with their scripts, bottles of water, deodorant, hair brushes, and a snack. They stood in the living room, held hands, and apperated to behind the sheds at YAT.


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

The couple entered YAT with much less enthusiasm than the other performers. The steady infiltration of Hogwarts preyed heavily on both their minds, allowing little room for anything else. They only realized that they had been lost in thought when Hermione was nearly knocked over by a laughing black boy walking backwards down the hall.

'Oh, I am so sorry!' he said, turning around and helping her to her feet. He smiled at her charmingly with even, white teeth. Draco glared at him. 'Hi, I haven't seen you two around here before. Are you new?'

'Yes, we are,' Draco answered smoothly. 'We came from London.'

'Really?' the boy said. 'You don't sound like it.'

'We've been working on getting rid of our accents for the play,' Hermione said quickly, interrupting Draco before he could say the scathing retort on his lips. 'Danny and Sandy can't sound British, now, can they?'

The boy looked impressed. 'So, you two are the ones who replaced Amy and Mickey?' They nodded guiltily. 'Oh, don't be sorry, those guys were buttheads anyways,' he joked. He took Hermione's hand and kissed it playfully.

'My name's Donte,' he said, smiling up at her. Draco's scowl deepened as Hermione giggled.

'Hello, Donte. I'm Hermione, but you can call me Maya,' she said.

'And I'm Draco, Drake, and I'm Maya's girlfriend,' he said with thinly veiled jealousy. He was so clearly threatened by this smiling black boy with his big charming smile and sense of humor that Hermione punched him lightly in the shoulder.

'Now, now, Drake. Don't be rude,' she scolded. Draco gave her a look and she rolled her eyes at him. 'Sorry about him. He's a little mistrustful. So, what part do you play?'

'Eh, I'm just a "teen",' he said flippantly. 'But you guys must be really good to have beaten out Mickey and Amy for the leads,' he continued, leading them into the theater to sit in the front row. 'They've both been going here since elementary school, best in their classes, all that jazz.'

'Really? Wow,' Hermione said worriedly. 'That's a lot to live up to. We've had to prior experience whatsoever. This is the first play we've ever been in! Vince and Ari brought us down to come see the rehearsal but they never expected us to get real name roles. And suddenly we're leads! It's a big overwhelming.'

'I can imagine,' Donte said, patting her on the shoulder. 'Now, once the rehearsal starts, Tina and Val will call you up to the stage to introduce you to everyone and tell them what part you're playing. Don't be embarrassed about that, they do it to all the newbie's,' he cautioned.

'Whoopee,' Draco said sarcastically, leaning his chin in his hand on the armrest of the chair.

Tina and a plump woman with blonde hair walked onto the stage, commanding everyone's attention. Tina came to the forefront, and the other woman, Val, sat down on the edge of the stage casually.

'Today's rehearsal will be a read-through of the script and then a run-through of the songs, including individual songs and duets,' she said briskly. 'This is Val Smith, as all but two of you know.' Many eyebrows raised questioningly at this last part. Hermione flushed and slipped a little lower in her seat.

'As many of you will know by now, Mickey and Amy have, um, dropped out of the show,' she said awkwardly. A few people chuckled knowingly. 'In there places, we have two new additions to the Grease cast, and the YAT family. Will Draco and Hermione please come up here, please?' she said, beckoningly to them.

Hermione gulped and Draco pulled her to her feet gently. Donte smiled reassuringly at them, as did Ari and Vince from two rows back, as they climbed the three steps up to the stage to stand beside Tina and Val.

'This is Hermione Granger,' Tina said, gesturing to Hermione. 'And this is Draco Malfoy.' She gestured to Draco. 'Is there anything else you would like to be called?'

'Yeah, I can just be Drake,' Draco said.

'Maya,' Hermione said quietly.

'Okay, Drake and Maya,' Tina said. 'They will be our new Danny and Sandy! Now be nice to them: They are foreign exchange students from London, and have no prior experience in the theater. But they are very talented so don't give them any flack for it.'

Hermione and Draco nodded and sat back down self-consciously. Donte gave Hermione a high-five but ignored Draco altogether. He could tell that the other boy didn't like him, so he'd decided to just stay out of his way. He had failed to notice, though, that the dislike was generated and increased by his attention to Hermione.

'Now, everyone take out your scripts and we're going to run through the entire play. Everyone know who they are? Know what lines are yours?' They all nodded. 'Good. Starts with a song.' Val Smith passed out the music for the first song. They sight read it, learned their parts, and sand through it a few times.

The read-through of the play went well. Everyone was amazed that Hermione and Draco had managed to memorize the entire play, their lines and everyone else's, in just one day.

Even the songs were okay, considering that they had never actually sung them. But they had both watched the play numerous times and learned the songs out of infatuation with it. By the end of the rehearsal, they had much respect and admiration from their newfound peers. They had been accepted as some of the most talented people there, despite being new.

'Wow! That went really well!' Hermione exclaimed as they walked down to Subway with Ari, Vince, Donte, and a petite girl named Elyse. 'I knew watching musicals all day every day would pay off eventually,' she joked. She was practically skipping with the joy of acceptance. The others smiled at her indulgently.

'You'll find that yatties are very accepting, loving people,' Elyse said. 'They'll accept anyone who isn't bitchy or a liar. That's why Amy wasn't nearly as popular as she thought she was,' she added with disgust. 'She was spreading lies about some of the yatties so we sort of ousted her. And Mickey was just cocky.'

'Good to know,' Hermione said brightly. 'So, anything else we need to know for a quiet life at YAT?' Donte and Elyse laughed.

'There's no such thing as a quiet life at YAT!' Donte said. 'It's full of drama queens and relationship triangles. People randomly burst into full song and dance in the hallways. The scary thing is, everyone around them will know the song and the steps,' he said truthfully.

'Really? Wow,' Draco said. 'Sounds like a fun place,' he said wistfully.

'What's up with him?' Elyse asked Hermione quietly so that Draco couldn't hear.

'He had a bad childhood. Not fun at all, hiding his love of music from his parents because they didn't approve, having to act just to get by, that kind of thing. He's never been a part of something as fun and caring as YAT before,' she explained just as quietly, avoiding looking at Draco so they wouldn't suspect that they were talking about him. 'But don't tell him I told you,' she cautioned.

They ate at Subway, talking and laughing and getting to know each other. Draco still had a problem with how charismatic Donte was and how Hermione seemed so drawn to him. Maybe it was just how candid and friendly he was but he always seemed to be flirting, subtle as he may be.

They eventually parted ways when Hermione complained that her new shoes were starting to give her blisters. They apperated back to their flat and sat down to watch TV for a while. Draco seemed a bit standoffish to Hermione and it was beginning to worry her.

'Drake?' she said.

'Yeah?'

'What's wrong? You seem…distant. Are you okay?' she asked worriedly. He wouldn't look her in the eye.

'Nothing, I'm fine,' he lied. Hermione gave him a knowing look. 'It's just that Donte guy. I don't like him,' he admitted stiffly. Hermione stared at him.

'Why?' she asked disbelievingly. 'He's really nice and talented and funny and-'

'That's why!' he burst out, standing up and glaring at her. 'He's been hitting on you all day and you've been flirting back! I'm your boyfriend! If you like him so much, then why are you still with me? Just go hang out with Donte,' he said nastily. Then he sprinted back to his room and locked the door manually and magically, and placed a powerful silencing spell on it so that no sound could get in or out.

Hermione stared at the spot where he had been standing for a moment. _'Is Drake really jealous enough to break off our relationship over this? I wasn't flirting with him! I was just playing around and having fun. I was making friends. Just because he's too pompous to make friends doesn't mean I am! He's just being childish,'_ she thought furiously.

Hermione stood up and went to Draco's door. She knocked. No response. 'Drake?' she asked tentatively. Nothing. 'Draco Malfoy! You are being very childish and jealous and I don't like it!' Still nothing. She let out a small scream of frustration, went to her own room and slammed the door. They didn't speak at all that night.

Hermione awoke the next morning to an empty bed. It was a dismal feeling, with no Draco beside her, comforting her. She showered and changed into a pair of her dance shorts and a tank top. She threw her hair into a bun and put on her character shoes. She knew it wasn't what most kids wore to school but there was a rehearsal directly after school and she didn't really care what people thought. Plus, she looked good!

Draco also woke up to that gloomy empty bed but his jealousy and hurt kept him from apologizing. He showered and dressed in jeans, a tight dance top and his jazz shoes. It was flattering and it would be easy to change into his dance pants quickly at YAT.

Hermione grabbed a granola bar instead of sitting down to eat and apperated to school alone. Draco came out and was troubled to find that Hermione had already left. She must have been really angry to just leave alone. He ate some cereal and apperated to school.

When he reached their first class, Hermione was already surrounded by people, most of them boys, so he sat on the opposite side of the room. He was outraged to see that Donte was among them, and that Hermione openly flirting with all of them. If they hadn't been last night, his feelings were definitely hurt now.

Just the thing to get back at Hermione happened upon him just a moment later. A cute blonde sat down next to him, looking sympathetically at him with big brown puppy-dog eyes.

'Aw, why aren't you sitting with Maya?' she asked in a simpering voice that reminded him forcibly of Pansy. 'Did you two have a fight or something?' He smirked at her, turning on all of his charisma. If Hermione was allowed to flirt then so was he.

'Yeah, actually, we did. I'm not sure if we're through or not but, considering how many guys she's sitting with, I'm guessing we are. What's your name?' he asked smoothly, eyeing her with that bad-boy gleam in his eyes.

'I'm Ava. Ava Hildebrand,' she said, holding out her hand for him to shake. He did so. 'I know who you are, Drake, so no need for further introductions.'

'So, uh, what are you doing after school? Say around seven?' he asked, eyeing Hermione maliciously. He saw her glance at him, then her expression darkened, and she turned back to the boys surrounding her with renewed flirtatiousness.

'Oh, um, nothing, nothing at all!' Ava said eagerly. Draco could tell that this girl had been just waiting for him and Hermione to have issues so she could swoop down and get him on the rebound. Now that he was returning her interest, she was over the moon about it.

'Great. Where should I meet you?' Draco winked at her and she stared at him devotedly.

'How about in the park by Lake Ella? We could have a picnic! Or just a moonlit stroll,' she said adoringly.

'Great,' he said. Then he turned his attentions to the front of the room as the teacher began class. He caught both Ava and Hermione glancing at him repeatedly.

Hermione arrived at school early and headed to her first class, feeling lonely and isolated without Draco by her side. She sat down in her usual seat. She saw Donte enter the room and beckoned him over as a wicked idea formed in her head. If Draco thought she was flirting before, he hadn't seen anything yet.

'Hey, Donte,' she said as he sat down. She smiled and batted her eyelashes at him.

'Whoa! Don't you look ready for dance class?' he said, beaming at her. 'Where's Drake? I thought, with him being so possessive and all, that you'd never be without him.' Hermione put on a terribly hurt face.

'We had a little fight last night,' she said, managing to squeeze out a single tear. Donte pulled her into a tight hug, which she returned warmly.

'I'm sorry. If you need a shoulder to cry on, I'm always here for you,' he said. Hermione smiled gratefully at him.

'Thanks, Donte, I needed that,' she said, batting her eyelashes at him. Another few boys sat down around her and Donte introduced them.

'Oh, this is Josh. His mom works at YAT,' he said, gesturing to a boy with sandy blonde hair.

'Yeah, I know Maya,' he said. 'I play trumpet in marching band,' he told her. She smiled at him, too.

'And this is Trevor.' He gestured to a lanky boy with brown hair that reminded her fondly of Ron. 'He goes to YAT, too.'

'Nice to meet you,' Hermione said, shaking both boys' hands and smiling at them. They talked for a while, Hermione flirting copiously with all three boys.

Hermione noticed Draco enter the room but didn't look at him. When she did glance up at him, he was standing in the doorway staring at her and the boys. She turned back to the boys as Draco sat down on the other side of the classroom.

The next time she looked at him, he was with a blonde girl. She was giggling and flirting and he was smiling and hitting on her. It was an infuriating sight. _'Fine, if that's the way he wants to do it,'_ she thought crossly. And she redoubled her efforts with Donte, Josh and Trevor.

By the end of the class, she had a date with Trevor for that night, and one with Josh for the following Friday. She smirked at Draco as she passed him on the way into chorus and he smirked back.

At lunch they sat at different tables facing opposite directions. Ari and Vince saw them, spoke quietly for a moment, then split up. Ari sat with Hermione and Vince with Draco.

'Hermione, what's up with you and Drake?' Ari asked worriedly as she sat down.

'We broke up,' she replied calmly. Ari gasped.

'No! Why?' she said.

'Because was childish enough to think that I was flirting with Donte yesterday. He got all jealous and started yelling yesterday. As far as I can tell, we're through. But I'm not as bothered about it as he is apparently. I've already got dates with Josh and Trevor. I'm over him.' Ari gaped at her.

Vince sat down across from Draco and glanced over his the other boy's shoulder at Hermione and Ari.

'What's the matter between you and Maya?' he asked.

'We broke up,' he said coolly. 'She was flirting with Donte all day yesterday and, seeing as I was her boyfriend, I didn't think it was quite what you would call "loyal",' he said. Vince looked thoughtful for a moment.

'I can see what you mean,' he said finally. 'But a lot of girls flirt unconsciously, without knowing they're doing it. She may not have meant to do it,' he pointed out. 'Ari does that all the time but I don't get on her about it. And remember: all the guys play around with the girls, and the other guys, that way all the time. The guys at YAT are the gayest straight guys on the planet and they know it.'

Draco snorted. 'Right. So that's why she was flirting with three YAT guys when I walked into homeroom this morning,' he said sarcastically.

'Oh. Okay, I see your point,' Vince admitted.

'Plus, I'm over Maya already. I've got a date with Ava Hildebrand tonight after rehearsal. I'm over her.' Vince looked skeptical but kept his mouth shut.

'Maya, Drake _was _being childish but that doesn't mean you should ruin your relationship over it!' Ari exclaimed. 'Plus, it was your chemistry that made you perfect for Sandy and Danny over so many other talented people. You two are in love! Everyone can see it.'

Hermione snorted derisively.

'Yeah, that's why he gets super jealous when I speak to other guys,' she said sarcastically.

'Yes, it is! He was afraid of losing you. He saw you flirting, unconscious though it may have been, with Donte and he was hurt and worried that you were going to leave him. So, to save himself the humility of being dumped, he decided to dump you first,' she explained. Hermione stared at her.

'That makes no sense whatsoever,' she said slowly.

'It does, too. Same thing happened to me and Vince once but he got over it. Afterward, he was man enough to sit me down and explain to me what went wrong in the relationship. Now he knows that I'm just a very open and friendly person so he doesn't get nearly as jealous about things like that. Especially around YAT guys,' Ari said brightly.

Hermione thought this over carefully. When she really broke it down, it seemed to make a little bit of sense. She sighed.

'Well, maybe, but that didn't give him the right to yell at me,' Hermione said huffily, crossing her arms over her chest tightly. 'He could have just talked to me about it instead of blowing up like that.'

'No, he couldn't. His pride wouldn't let him,' Ari explained. Hermione rolled her eyes and turned back to her lunch. Ari sighed, knowing she would make no more progress right then, and did the same.

Vince leaned over and looked Draco straight in the eye.

'The same thing happened to me and Ari once,' he said. 'Same circumstances and everything. But we talked it out and everything was fine. I know exactly how you feel, it's the same way I felt. Hurt, betrayed, jealous, angry, spiteful, sad, everything! But if you just sit her down, apologize for yelling at her, and explain how you feel, everything will be fine,' he directed calmly. Draco gawked at him.

'Apologize? _Apologize?!_' he said hotly. 'Why should I apologize? She's the one at fault here! She's the one flirting with other guys! I'm the one that deserves an apology.'

'Drake, I get it,' Vince said reassuringly. 'Really, I do. Look behind you. Ari has already calmed Maya down and they're talking it out. Ari's probably explaining to Maya what you're feeling right now-'

'How would Ari know how I'm feeling?' Drake asked, the smirk Hermione had grown to despise back in place with his haughty superior attitude.

'Because it's the same way I felt. I told her everything I felt and the reasons behind it once we got back together again. She knows how you feel because that's how I felt. Get it? Now, you want Maya to find it out through you, not Ari, so get over there and tell her yourself,' he said, pointing at the girls over Draco's shoulder.

'No! I have a date tonight and I'm not the kind of guy to stand her up!' Draco hissed, standing up. 'I'm going on that date and Maya can just come apologize when she realizes she was wrong!' And with that, he stormed out of the cafeteria to the bewildered stares of his peers and the tearful stare of his ex-girlfriend.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

Hermione watched Draco go and, having been close enough to hear his last comment, felt the tears threaten to fall. But her dignity would not allow her to cry in such a public place so she stood calmly and carefully snuck her way out of the cafeteria as it erupted in whispers.

She could just see Draco whipping around the far corner as she exited but she went the other way to the girls' bathroom. She put her hands on either side of the sink, her elbows locked and her head drooping, letting the tears fall.

'_I can't believe that jerk!'_ she though furiously. _'I can't help it if I have fun when I'm with Donte. That doesn't mean I like him. I love Draco and yet he refuses to see it just because…because…well, I'm don't know why, but it's a stupid reason, I can guarantee that!'_

Hermione straightened up, looked at her reflection, and groaned. Her mascara had run, leaving black tracks all the way down to her chin. She glanced around surreptitiously and pulled out her wand. She muttered a few choice words and her makeup was perfect again. She put her wand back in her pocket and hurried to her next class.

Draco stormed out of the cafeteria and down the hall. He considered just apperating home but he knew he would get in trouble for skipping. So he went to sit in his next class, even though he was at least ten minutes early. So he pulled out the homework he had almost finished the night before and set to work on it.

The rest of the class straggled in and Ava snagged the seat beside him almost immediately. He smiled at her charmingly as Hermione entered, glowering at the pair of them. He smirked at her and she sat down looking offended.

Hermione refused to speak to Draco out of character during the Grease rehearsal that afternoon. Not that he pressed her to do so. They were overly-polite and formal, but the chemistry was much diminished. People noticed that something was up and the two were forced to explain many times that they were no longer "together."

It was a rehearsal filled with tension and anxiety for all. Then they had a quick lesson with Shane. They exchanged still fewer words, most of which were polite critique. Then it was time for their dates.

Hermione showered and picked out an outfit for her date with Trevor. They would be going to karaoke at Pockets Bar and Grill. From what he told her, it was a lot of fun. She wanted to be flashy but not sluttish.

She dressed in a black miniskirt, a long-sleeved, red crop-top, and knee-high, platform, black, leather boots. Dramatic black and red makeup, a black choker and earring combo, and a black newsboy cap. She looked in the mirror and had to admit that she looked hot!

Draco, meanwhile, was getting ready to go to the same place (though he didn't know it) with Ava. He showered and dressed in black slacks, black tennis shoes, and a tight, dark green shirt that showed off his six pack, reminiscent of his Slytherin pride. He combed his hair but left it un-slicked as he usually did nowadays. He looked very good.

They both walked into the hall at the same time and came face to face. They looked each other up and down but didn't speak. They proceeded silently to the living room and disaparated. They met up with their dates at separate places, unknowing that they would meet again that night.

Hermione walked into the dimly lit bar on Trevor's arm and beamed around. It seemed like a pleasant enough place, albeit a little noisy and smoky. They sat down at one of the tables close to the karaoke space and ordered their food. They talked for a while about anything they could think of, though most of their conversations centered around music and the theatrical arts.

Draco met up with Ava and took the bus to Pockets. It was warm and crowded, but still had a comfy feel to it. He led Ava to one of the tables near the space cleared for the singers and placed their orders. He tried to strike up a conversation but found, much to his annoyance, that Ava was maybe too like Pansy: she didn't have enough brains to fill an eggcup!

She talked about school, and lip-gloss, and her friends, and cheerleading, and the Leon dance team she was on, and how much fun she was having, and how cute he was, and blah blah blah…

A man at a desk up behind the cleared space held up his hand for quiet. It didn't come but he spoke anyway, smiling around at all the happy, partially drunk, faces.

'Welcome to Pockets Bar and Grill, everyone! This is karaoke night. We have books of songs up at the front along with those little slips of paper to write the information on. If you'd like to sing a song, fill out the slip and give it to me! And don't forget to have fun!' the man boomed out over the crowd. An uproar of cheering erupted from the throng.

'Ooh! Do you want to sing something?' Hermione asked eagerly, clutching at Trevor's arm in excitement.

'I don't know, I probably don't know any of the songs…' he stalled hesitantly. Hermione rolled her eyes.

'Fine, then, I'll do something myself,' she said, and hopped up to get a book. As she sat back down, a flash of white-blonde hair caught her eye. She looked down the row of tables only to see Draco and Ava Hildebrand sitting there. She gaped at them for a moment and felt a pang of jealousy and longing. It made her heart ache.

What made it lighter was that Draco didn't seem to be enjoying himself all that much. He was twirling a tiny pencil in his fingers and staring into space while Ava babbled on about irrelevant topics. Hermione made up her mind right then and there.

She flipped through the song book until she found what she was looking for. She copied down the necessary information on the little slip of paper and submitted it to the man behind the desk. Then she sat back down at her table and picked up her conversation with Trevor, but her mind was three tables down with Draco.

Twenty minutes and many bad singers later, the man called out, 'Hermione!' Hermione jumped to her feet and took her place behind the mike. She saw Draco look up suddenly, as though snapping out of a stupor, and gape at her. She smiled at him and, as the music started, made sure he didn't look away.

'_Guess mine is not first heart broken_,' she sang.

_My eyes are not the first to cry._

_I'm not the first to know there's just no getting over you.'_

She saw Draco's expression go from surprise to tender to a bit defiant, as though he couldn't believe she would go this far to get him back. As she kept singing, she saw his face soften and he couldn't look away.

'_I know, I'm just a fool who's willing,_

_To sit around and wait for you._

_But baby can't you see_

_There's nothin' else for me to do._

_I'm hopelessly devoted to you._

_But now there's nowhere to hide since you pushed my love aside!_

_I'm out of my head, hopelessly devoted to you._

_I'm hopelessly devoted to you_,' she sang, putting every ounce of feeling into her words. The message was compelling, because every word of it was true.

'_My head is sayin' "fool, forget him!"_

_My heart is sayin' "don't let go!"_

_Hold on to the end, that's what I intend to do._

_I'm hopelessly devoted to you._

_But now there's nowhere to hide since you pushed my love aside!_

_I'm out of my head, hopelessly devoted to you._

_I'm hopelessly devoted to you._

_I'm hopelessly devoted to you_.'

Hermione ended on a gentle high note. She remained where she was, staring hard at Draco. She could tell by his eyes that all was forgiven.

As the applause thundered around her, Hermione went back to her table. Trevor stood up to give her a hug and praise her copiously. She sat down and sighed: the least she could do is finish out the date. _'Besides, I wouldn't want to pull Draco away from Ava, not when they're having such a good time, would I?'_ she though amusedly.

Draco stared up at Hermione from his table. She never allowed him to break eye contact. Not that he would: he was captivated. Her eyes bore into his with such passion and sincerity that it took his breath away. He listened carefully to her words, though he had them all memorized, and knew that they came straight from her heart.

The music stopped but he didn't break the connection. As she sat back down, he continued to stare at her until Ava tapped him irritatedly on the shoulder.

'Drake?' she asked. 'Are you even listening to me?'

'No,' Draco answered without looking at her. He heard her give a noise of indignation. She pushed her chair back and stood up briskly.

'Fine! Then I'm leaving!' Ava said furiously. When this proclamation elicited no response, she turned on her heel and stormed out the door.

Hermione saw Trevor glance behind him as Ava stood up. She stormed to the door and Trevor gaped after her. He looked worried as he turned back to Hermione.

'Maya, can I go after her? It's not safe for a teenage girl to be walking around alone outside a bar at this time of night,' he said anxiously.

'Of course, Trevor,' Hermione agreed, standing up to hug him. 'Drake can take me home, I'm sure,' she added with a smile. Trevor smiled, thanked her for the lovely evening, and ran out to catch Ava before she got mugged.

Hermione grinned and came up quietly behind Draco. She carefully lowered herself into Ava's vacated seat, looking at her hands uncertainly. Draco didn't say anything so she looked up.

Draco was surprised to see the tears in Hermione's caramel eyes as she gazed at him so intently. He stared back and she let out a tiny sob. He moved to put his arm around her but before he could, she threw herself in his arms and buried her face in his chest.

'I'm sorry, Draco!' she cried quietly. Draco was surprised to hear her use his real name, she had been calling him Drake so much. 'I didn't mean anything with Donte, I was just playing around, and I-'

'Sh,' Draco said quietly, rubbing his hand up and down her back in a calming way. 'I understand, and it's me who should be sorry, not you. I overreacted. I was just…hurt, I guess. I felt a little betrayed. But I'm over that now.' Hermione gave a weary chuckle as she pulled back and wiped her streaming eyes.

'Me, too. So, are we back together again?' she asked uncertainly. Draco nodded and beamed at her. She kissed him gently and hugged him tightly, both of which he returned in like measure. The night seemed to have suddenly gotten much brighter.

Hermione and Draco walked outside, glancing surreptitiously at the bums and drunkards around them. They walked far out into the parking lot, as if they were looking for their car, and disaparated where no muggles could see them. They arrived in their living room with a small _pop _and stood for a moment, just looking at each other.

'Drake, can I come sleep with you?' Hermione asked in the same innocent tone as the first time she had said it. He smiled at her, put his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

'Wouldn't have it any other way,' he said quietly.

They changed into their pajamas and got into Draco's bed and cuddled together. Hermione sighed.

'Now _this _is right where I'm supposed to be,' she whispered sleepily. Draco murmured his assent and hugged her closer. They drifted off in each others' arms into the first good sleep good sleep either of them had had in a while.

They spent the majority of the next day telling people that they were back together again. They were met with relief, congratulations, even jealousy. Ava was crying in the bathroom and Josh sulked around all day because he hadn't got the chance to have his date with Hermione.

The newly repaired couple were too wrapped up in each other to notice any of this. The recent misunderstanding had really opened their eyes to how cherishing your partner is really the cornerstone of any relationship. They didn't want anymore fights so they were going out of their way to make each other happy.

Ari was beside herself with pride that they had managed to work it out. Vince clapped them on the back and congratulated them, laughing all the while at Ari's reaction. She always seemed so excited and eager. Sometimes it was refreshing, sometimes it was annoying. Or both.

'I am _so_ glad you managed to talk it out!' she squealed when they sat down at lunch holding hands. 'I am so proud of both of you! You know what, we should go on a double-date in honor of your reestablished relationship!' she said animatedly.

'I don't see why not,' Draco said.

'Sure,' Hermione giggled.

'Then it's agreed. Where do you want to go?' Vince asked.

'Movies?' Drake suggested. 'I've never actually been to a movie. I know, it's pitiful. I've always wanted to, though. Any good movies on?'

'Ooh! We have got to go see Hairspray! It just came to the cheap theater and it stars Zac Effron! He's so gorgeous!' Ari said breathlessly.

'Now, now, Ari, don't go running off after superstars when you've got one hell of a guy right here,' Hermione said warningly. Ari turned to beam at Vince and kissed him.

'Ah, so true,' she sighed contentedly, leaning her head on her boyfriend's shoulder.

Hermione and Draco let out a loud, exaggerated "aw" and they all laughed. It was turning out to be a very good day. Until…


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

'Whoa! Sandy,' Draco said with a look of stunned surprise on his face. It wasn't false either. This was their first dress rehearsal and they were all wearing their new costumes for the first time. Hermione had just walked onstage in an outfit of tight black spandex, spike high heels, and a wide pink belt. It was indeed a breathtaking sight.

'What's it to yah, Zu-' she began smoothly, but a scream from the audience stopped her mid-sentence. A girl had spotted the owl swooping toward Hermione, a letter clamped in its beak. It dropped the letter at her feet and zoomed back out of the open doors.

Hermione bent down and picked it up. It was from Harry. She looked up at Draco, a look of utter horror on her face. Harry would never have let an owl deliver a letter in the presence of muggles unless it was something really important.

One thing that struck her as odd, though, was that Vince and Ari were also looking at the letter as though it meant something to them. Hermione opened the letter with trembling fingers.

Hermione,

Voldemort's here in the school. He's after me and the teachers are busy trying to evacuate the other students. We need you to come back right away! We need your help to keep the Death Eaters at bay. Hurry!

Harry

Hermione clapped a shaking hand over her mouth and sent Draco a significant look. He nodded grimly and looked out over the audience.

'Ms. Tina, I'm afraid we need to leave,' he said in a voice of forced calm. He knew what that look had meant. Hogwarts had fallen. 'I'm sorry to skip out on rehearsal but it's unavoidable.'

Tina looked for a moment as though she was going to refuse.

'We need to go, too!' Vince called. Draco looked at him. He looked resolute, as did Ari, whom he had his arm around.

Tina looked confused and angry for a moment, then sighed and waved them off wearily. Draco grabbed Hermione and sped off toward the door, grabbing their dance bags--and their wands--on the way, Vince and Ari hot on their heels. They reached the front door and sped off to find a place to aparate out of view from the others.

They stopped behind a tree, glanced around, and spun on the spot. There was the nauseating sensation of being sucked through a tight black tube, and they were standing in Hogsmeade. They weren't alone.

Vince and Ari were standing beside them, staring at them with expressions they were certain mirrored their own shock. They looked up at Hogwarts castle in the distance as one. There were screams and flashes of light that carried all the way down to the village.

'What are you doing here?' Draco asked confusedly.

'We could ask you the same thing,' Vince said. He pulled out…a _wand_! And he pointed it right at Draco's chest. Ari's was directed at Hermione. Draco almost laughed. This situation was just ludicrous!

He nodded to Hermione and they pulled their wands out of their bags and pointed them at the others.

'Well, isn't this an interesting situation,' Hermione said. Vince and Ari rolled their eyes and lowered their wands.

'You two are a witch and wizard? Why didn't you tell us?' Ari asked indignantly, leading the way through the eerily silent village.

'Why would we? We were told we were in an entirely muggle town! We didn't know there were any other witches or wizards in the state,' Draco explained.

'That's what we were told, too, ' Vince said. 'Our families sent us to Tallahassee to keep us out of harm's way. Is it safe to assume the reason for your "transfer" was the reason you spread around?'

'Yes, we came for the music program,' Hermione said. 'Now are we going to fight or continue our explanations?' she asked testily. They had reached the gates flanked by winged boars that marked the entrance to the Hogwarts ground--they were knocked at odd angles as though someone had forced them open. The grim look on the others' faces gave her her answer. She lead the way through the broken gates.

There were people sprinting around the grounds, fleeing from their pursuers, jumping over the bodies that littered the ground and dodging the jets of green light flying past them. There were huge chunks of the castle that had been blown away and were now lying in heaps all over the grounds. The roar of voices and curses was deafening.

Hermione motioned the others to get close to her and muttered a few complicated spells. A translucent bubble encased them, blocking all spells and hiding them from view. They crept their way through the crowd, looking for a glimpse of anyone familiar. They made their way through the smashed doors and into the Entrance Hall.

Hermione stopped dead so that Draco, Ari and Vince all bumped into her. It was immediately apparent what had her so stunned. The great hall, too, was crowded, but not with duels; with corpses. Peers, teachers, friends were strewn around the hall, blank and staring. Hermione was frozen, stuck, empty. She saw so many familiar faces and she realized with a jolt that she would never see those faces again.

She was shaking, her hands were clammy, her throat was constricted, but her eyes were dry; her grief seemed to be beyond tears. She jumped when Draco put a hand on her shoulder, but didn't take her eyes off the horrifying sight before her.

'Hermione, we need to go quick or we won't be able to find Harry,' he warned her grimly. She nodded slowly--noting dully that being in Hogwarts had reverted him to his British accent--and began picking her way carefully through the gruesome scene. Her heart, so low a moment ago she thought it had stopped, leapt up into her throat as she heard a familiar voice. Four familiar voices!

Hermione whipped around so fast that she nearly knocked Vince clean off his feet. She gasped and pointed at a vicious duel going on across the hall. Luna, Neville and Ginny were driving two masked Death Eaters back toward the oak front doors.

Hermione looked beseechingly at Draco but he shook his head and jerked it toward the marble staircase--it had several large chunks missing, which were littered around the hall. Behind one of these chunks crouched Ron, shooting spells over the edge at random at two more Death Eaters.

Hermione--ignoring the others' silent protests--took careful aim through the bubble and shot a silent Stunner at one of them; he slumped to the ground, motionless. The other Death Eater faltered and Ron, taking advantage of his hesitation, stunned him as well. He stood up and looked around for his savoir. Seeing no one, he shrugged and ran to help Ginny, Neville and Luna, who had been joined by two more Death Eaters.

Hermione waited to make sure they could handle the situation, then gestured to the others and headed toward the stairs. When they reached the top Hermione lifted the charm and the bubble dispersed. They exchanged looks; all of them looked severely shaken by the devastation they had witnessed.

'W-we need somewhere to f-focus for a few m-m-minutes,' Hermione choked out. Her accent had returned, too. 'Let's g-go to the Room of Requirement.' Draco nodded and set off along the corridor.

'What's the Room of Requirement?' Ari asked curiously, hurrying to catch up with him.

'The Room of Requirement is this amazing room that can be pretty much anything you want it to,' he explained. 'You just walk three times down a certain corridor, thinking hard about what you need to room to be, and a door appears. It's wicked cool! It's helped me more than once,' he said. For some reason--only he and Hermione knew what that reason was--he was looking sulky and ashamed. Ari wondered but decided not to ask questions. Vince didn't notice at all.

'Here we are!' Hermione exclaimed. They were in a corridor devoid of anything except a large tapestry of a botched attempt to teach trolls to dance ballet. Hermione was gazing at the blank opposite wall. She began to pace back and forth, muttering under her breath.

Suddenly, as she finished her third lap of the hall, a polished wooden door materialized in the blank stone of the wall. Ari gasped and Vince said, 'Whoa!' Hermione beckoned them through the door into a spacious room lit and warmed by a large fireplace, and filled with squashy couches and chintz armchairs. They each flopped down and sighed.

'Okay…what do we do now?' Vince asked. He seemed eager to be out fighting, in the thick of things. 'Who are we looking for again?'

'Harry Potter,' Hermione said shakily. The thought that Harry could be being tortured or killed at the hands of Lord Voldemort as they spoke made her sick to her stomach.

'Maya, are you okay?' Ari asked concernedly, transferring to the arm of Hermione's chair. 'You don't look so good.'

Hermione tried to say something reassuring but the image of the entrance hall floated through her mind and her throat constricted painfully. She let out an odd choking noise. Her breathing was quick and sharp, and her hands were still shaking visibly.

'Everything's going to be fine,' Vince said in what he must have thought was a heartening tone. Hermione stared at him. She stood up slowly and made to face him.

'Fine?' she whispered tremulously. '_Fine?_ Nothing is fine! I grew up with these people! This was the first place I ever had any friends, the first place I ever felt I really belonged. These people, those people in the entrance hall, are--were--my friends. Those people we helped in the entrance hall were a few of my best friends: Ron, Ginny, Neville, Luna! I have been best friends with Harry Potter for seven years and now I can't find him to help him in his very greatest moment of need! Do you have any idea how helpless that makes you feel? Not to be able to help those who need it, to be entirely powerless? To see your friends and peers dead at your feet? It hurts! It hurts more than you can ever imagine!'

Hermione noticed that her voice had risen steadily as she spoke; she was now nearly screaming at Vince, who was backing away in alarm at her violent outburst. She could feel the tears pressing against the back of her eyes, the burning in her throat was intensifying: she wouldn't be able to resist for long.

Draco came forward and put a hand on her shoulder. Hermione whirled around and clutched at him. He put his arm around her shoulders and let her cry into his chest. The room was silent except for Hermione's muffled sobs. Vince seemed to have been more shaken by Hermione's rant than by the scene that had inspired it.

'Well…we should really get a plan and get going if we're going to find Harry Potter, don't you think?' Ari said hesitantly, sounding as though she thought Hermione was going to start yelling again.

Hermione pulled back from Draco, wiped her eyes and took a deep steadying breath. She had to be strong…for Harry. She turned to face the others, willing her hands to stop shaking, a look of determinedness on her face and a fire burning in her eyes.

'Okay. We need to find out where he went and if Voldemort has found him yet,' she said, her voice surprisingly steady. 'We can go out and find Ron or Ginny again and ask them if they know where he is and how he's doing. Any information will help.'

Draco nodded but Vince and Ari looked confused.

'Oh, right, you guys don't know Ron and Ginny,' Hermione realized. 'Ron is really tall and Ginny's…well, she's just Ginny. Both of them have bright red hair. There might be a few others like that--they have a really big family--but any of them might know something. Tell them you're with Hermione and Draco,' she instructed. They nodded.

'Let's go,' Draco said, pulling the door open and leading the way down the stairs. The others followed resolutely behind him. 'We'll have to split up.' Vince and Ari, looking anxious at being separated from their guides, tried to protest, but the desperate look on Hermione's face stopped them.

The four of them scattered, running through the duels still raging on the grounds, looking for a flash of red hair. Draco pelted full out toward a group of five Death Eaters ganging up on three scared looking fifth years that hadn't managed to be evacuated before the onslaught. Rage filled him as he watched one of the hooded figures laughing at their terrified faces.

'Stupefy!' Draco yelled, pointing his wand at the laughing figure. It turned just in time to see the red bolt of the Stunner hit him square in the chest. He slumped to the ground. Draco jumped over him and kicked one of the others in the stomach. He, too, fell over, gasping for breath. The fifth years looked even more frightened.

'Hey, I'm helping,' Draco said, shrugging. 'Impedimenta!' A Death Eater that had been sneaking up on a girl froze. The girl turned and, seeing the man frozen in the act of attacking her, screamed. 'Stupefy! Expelliarmus! Stupefy! Impedimenta!' Draco yelled. The other Death Eaters dropped like stones. 'Your welcome.' He smiled at the girls and ran off in the other direction, leaving them looking bemused.

Hermione ran through the battle, shooting spells every which way, wherever anyone seemed to need help, her eyes searching constantly for two of her very best friends, hoping nothing had happened to them. Soon enough, she spotted Ginny dueling with a large Death Eater.

'Stupefy!' The Death Eater fell, a look of surprise on his face at the assault from behind. 'Ginny!' Hermione threw her arms around the girl. 'Have you seen Harry? Do you know where he is? Is he with Voldemort?' she asked urgently.

'I don't know,' Ginny answered looking both relieved to see her, and bewildered at her outfit. 'I saw him earlier but then we just got so caught up in the fight. What are you wearing?'

'It was a dress rehearsal for Grease the musical,' Hermione said impatiently. 'Did you see which way he went? Where was he the last time you saw him?'

'Well, I thought he was going toward the forest, or maybe the Womping Willow, but I couldn't be sure from this dist-'

'Thanks!' And Hermione ran across the grounds, dodging shafts of light and hooded figures, toward the flailing tree in the distance. People must have been fighting near it, it was usually still, but it didn't like being hit at all.

'Maya!'

She turned. Vince was sprinting toward her, looking terrified.

'What's the matter?' she asked worriedly, stopping for him to catch up. 'What's happened?'

'It's Ari,' he panted, clutching his chest. 'She's been hit with something. I don't know what it was and I don't know what to do.' The worry and pain etched in his face was one of the few things that would make her turn around and come back.

Ari was lying in a sheltered niche behind a chunk of the castle wall that had fallen off. She was gasping in pain and clutching her stomach. She was sweating profusely and her temperature was raging.

'It looks like a Fiebermagen Curse,' Hermione said worriedly, laying a hand on Ari's stomach; it was hot to the touch. 'I think I can remember the countercurse. Hold on.' She thought for a moment, running over the mental list of spells. 'Kalter bauch.' The heat in Ari's stomach began to ease. She seemed to be resting more peacefully.

'Good. It should go away in a few moments. Just in case, the spells is 'kalter bauch.' Remember that and perform the spell again if she starts getting warm again,' Hermione instructed.

'Thank you, Maya,' Vince said. 'I don't even want to think what could have happened without you here.' He hugged her tightly, and gave her a small push in the direction she had been going.

Hermione ran toward the tree again, glancing back over her shoulder once or twice at the touching scene she had left. She shook herself and ran faster. She couldn't let herself be distracted anymore, had to focus all of her energies on finding Harry.

No sooner had she reached the Womping Willow that she ran into someone. She was nearly knocked over but righted herself quickly, wand at the ready, prepared to curse someone to get them out of her way. But it was only Draco.

'Hermione! Ron told me Harry was coming here,' he said urgently.

'Ginny told me the same thing,' Hermione said, lowering her wand. 'Do you think Harry's in the Shrieking Shack?' she asked doubtfully. It seemed a bit obvious.

'What's the Shrieking Shack got to do with the Womping Willow?' Draco asked confusedly.

'That's right, you don't know about that. There's a secret tunnel under the Womping Willow that leads to the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade. It was built when Professor Lupin went here so that he could be sneaked out once a month and transform without anyone knowing about it,' Hermione explained, looking around for a long stick. 'So, do you think he could be in there?'

'Possibly. We should go check, and if he's not there we can come back and try the forest,' Draco said. Hermione picked up a long stick and carefully poked a knot on the tree's trunk. It froze. Draco gaped at it, but not for long, as Hermione grabbed his hand and dragged him toward a gap in the tree's roots.

They entered a long, stooped tunnel. It was so low that they had to run nearly bent double. It was dark and cold, and the ground seemed to slope upward after about ten minutes. Hermione stopped abruptly and Draco nearly ran into her backside.

'What?' he whispered up at her. She made a shushing noise and gestured toward a chink of light at the end of the passage.

There was to be a crate covering the entrance to the Shrieking Shack, blocking their path, but voices were filtering past it. Hermione was listening intently. Draco strained his ears to hear what was being said.

'…by me. You knew it was going to end this way, you always have,' hissed a cold, high voice. There was a quiet whimper. 'Oh, Potter, how the mighty have fallen. You were never the tragic little hero everyone thought you were. The prophecy did not matter. You have no power I do not, just a whole lot of people willing to die so you can carry on hiding behind your friends, letting them all die for you.'

'…no…' Harry gasped, his voice ragged and strained.

'Oh, yes,' Voldemort said, sounding almost amused. 'All these pointless years of running and training, all for naught. You should have just died alongside your parents, Harry Potter. It would have saved you seventeen years of torment when I'm just going to kill you now. You and all your worthless, Mudblood and half-breed friends-'

'NO!' Harry yelled.

There was a blast like a gunshot and Hermione gasped as a shot of bright silver light shot past very near the crate, so that a kind of heat wave washed over them.

'Potter, do you really think that a simple spell like a Patronus can defeat me, the greatest wizard of all time?' Voldemort sneered.

'You are _not_ the greatest wizard of all time,' Harry said quietly. 'Albus Dumbledore is.'

'Albus Dumbledore is gone, at my orders, on my terms!' Voldemort said. Hermione was satisfied to hear that Harry seemed to have hit a nerve.

'He will never be gone! Not as long as those who remain are loyal to him,' Harry shouted defiantly. There was a sound like a whip crack and a cry of pain. Hermione bit her lip to keep from crying out as well.

'Hold your insolent little tongue, Potter,' Voldemort hissed, sounding more like a snake than a man. 'There is no one here to help you, no one left to die for you now. You are alone, defenseless, weak. You do not stand a chance against me, Lord Voldemort!' And he laughed, a cold, high merciless laugh that sent chills down Hermione's spine.

'_Avada_-'

'NO!'


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

It was Hermione that shouted this time. She shoved the crate away from the opening and clambered out of the hole. Draco followed after her, horrified at what she was doing, but even more terrified of leaving her to fight Voldemort on her own.

She stood there defiantly, trembling with rage, glaring at Voldemort with an intensity Draco had never seen before. Harry was on the ground, bloody, bruised, panting, but alive. Voldemort looked at them, not exactly angry, just annoyed.

'And who are you to interrupt Lord Voldemort?' he said.

'Hermione Granger,' she answered fiercely. She glanced down at Harry. He was gaping up at her in shock and horror. Voldemort's lipless mouth curled into a mirthless smile.

'Ah, yes, the Mudblood Granger,' he said quietly. Draco made a motion as if to strike at him, but Hermione held out an arm.

'What are you laughing at?' she spat.

'You all seem so confident in your ability to beat me. I assure you, no so think will happen,' he said. Harry struggled into a standing position, though his knees were shaking so bad he could hardly stand.

'It's me you want, Tom, leave them out of this,' Harry growled, trying to step in front of them.

'Harry, don't be stupid, you're in no state to take him on on your own,' Hermione admonished.

'Yes, Potter, let your friends fight your battles once again,' Voldemort sneered at him. Harry closed his eyes tightly for a second, trying to get control of himself.

'Hermione, no! I'm not letting anyone die for me again. Too many people have died trying to protect me. I'm not letting you go, too,' he whispered back at her.

'Harry, don't be a prat, you need help,' Draco said, moving up to stand beside him, in front of Hermione.

'Why, Draco,' Voldemort said with mild surprise. 'I never thought I'd see you in such foul company. A Mudblood and little hero Potter. Oh, your father will be so disappointed.'

'You really think I care what my father thinks?' Draco snarled. He spat out the word 'father' as though it were poisonous. 'My father was never a father, more of a jailer. I don't give a damn what he thinks!'

'Well, as much as I value independency, I can't say I support your values, Draco,' Voldemort said coldly, turning his wand on them.

Hermione muttered a few well-chosen words and another one of those clear spheres surrounded them. It was supposed to block them from view and protect them from most spells, but it didn't seem to have worked very well, because Voldemort just chuckled again.

'Such feeble attempts. Do you really think such a bubble will be able to conceal you from Lord Voldemort's all-seeing eye?'

Hermione glanced at the boys; both looked anxious. Harry's eyes were wide and frightened, transfixed on Voldemort's red ones, Draco's darting around furiously, looking everywhere but at Voldemort.

Hermione pointed her wand at Voldemort and thought hard, '_Muffliato_.' He looked furious for a moment but the spell appeared to have worked.

'Harry, what should we do?' she whispered. Harry turned to look at her, white and strained.

'Why are you asking me? If you couldn't tell when you got here, I was losing!' he whispered back touchily, his voice hoarse. 'Why did you two come here?'

'Because you told us to in your letter. Duh,' Draco reminded him. Harry rolled his eyes at him.

'That's not what I mean. Why did you come _here_, to the Shrieking Shack? Who told you I was here?'

'Ron and Ginny both saw you coming in this direction and we just thought this would be a likely place,' Hermione said. 'And excuse us for saving your life. A little gratitude would be nice, thanks,' she added waspishly.

'Fine! Thanks for endangering yourselves for the sake of me like everyone always seems to,' Harry said. He took one good look at the pair of them and his expression changed from fury and fear, to puzzled amusement. 'And what in the name of Merlin are you wearing?'

'It was a dress rehearsal for Grease and we sort of left in a hurry,' Hermione said exasperatedly. 'But now's not really the time to discuss wardrobe, is it? This is a time for strategizing. Focus!'

'Sorry,' Harry chuckled.

'Why can't we just aparate? We're outside the Hogwarts grounds,'' Draco suggested.

'Don't you think I'd have tried that by now? Voldemort's put a charm on the shack so nothing can aparate in or out,' Harry snapped at him.

'Harry, there's no need to be rude to Draco, he came to help you just like I did. You should be grateful,' Hermione said. Harry looked for a moment as though he was going to start yelling, but he just took a deep breath and bit his lip.

'Sorry. Thanks for coming,' he said, not looking at Draco.

'It's okay, I understand, old habits are hard to break,' Draco said, holding out his hand to Harry. Harry hesitated, but shook it anyway. 'Good, now let's think of a way to get out of this.'

They all thought and thought, but having Voldemort glaring at you from outside a bubble, even though you know he can't hear what you say, certainly doesn't promote good focus. None of them could think of any way to get out of the horrible situation they were in.

'How about we send out for backup?' Harry said.

'That's a good idea, Harry!' Hermione responded excitedly.

'How would we get anyone to come? No one else really knows we're up here,' Draco pointed out. 'How would we get anyone's attention and tell them we need help?'

'We send a messenger Patronus out to Ron and Ginny, or maybe Vince and Ari,' Hermione explained. 'I've never done it, but I know how and I think I can do it if I really concentrate. Who should I send it to and what should I tell them?' she asked anxiously.

'Send it to all of them. Ron, Ginny, and…whoever it was you said,' Harry said. 'Tell them we're fighting Voldemort in the Shrieking Shack and to come help us from under the Womping Willow.'

'Okay.' She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and pictured herself and her friends getting out of there alive and living happily ever after. A feeling of hope spread through her and she said, 'Expecto patronum!' Four silvery otters burst from the end of her wand and sped off into the night.

Voldemort stared after them, looking mutinous--he must have been able to guess what they had been sent to do. Hermione looked at the others worriedly.

'It may take them a few minutes to get here and I don't think Voldemort's just going to let us stand here much longer, now that we've sent for help. We need to think of a way to hold him off if he decides to attack,' she said.

'You're right,' Draco said. 'Maybe we could hit him in the eyes with a Conjunctivitis Curse and then stun him, or something,' he suggested.

'I don't know. We could always try that but I think something a little more defensive would work better for the time being,' Harry said, thinking hard. 'I know that he likes defending his cause, talking about himself and what he believes in and all that. We should get him talking. Ask him why he's doing all this. I'm sure he'll have a few choice words on the subject,' he said darkly.

Hermione nodded and muttered the counterjinx. Voldemort whipped around to look at them, a malicious grin spreading across his face.

'Have you decided to face me? Or will you wait for more friends to come die for you, Potter?' he asked quietly. Harry took a step forward but Hermione pulled him back.

'Why are you doing all this?' Hermione called furiously. 'Killing all these people! What could possibly justify all this death and destruction, even in your twisted mind?'

Voldemort looked at her appraisingly, as though trying to think whether a question asked by someone such as her was even worth answering. Coming to a decision, he said, 'Purification of the Wizarding race. I plan to get rid of all muggles and Mudbloods, such as yourself, and leave the purebloods to rule over all.'

'That doesn't have the slightest bit of logic behind it,' Draco said. 'There aren't enough pureblood families to rule the world! You, yourself, are only a halfblood. Do you plan to kill yourself in order to complete the purification? Or have you hidden that particular fact from your followers?'

'No, I have no intention of killing myself,' Voldemort said, pacing languorously around the room, never taking his eyes off the three of them. 'Surely, Potter, you of all people must know the lengths to which I went to prevent myself death. Have you ever heard of Horcruxes?'

'Yes, I have, and I know that you had at least five,' Harry snarled. 'But Dumbledore got rid of one--Marvolo Gaunt's ring--and I got rid of the other--your diary. That only leaves three and we already know what those are: Slytherin's locket, Hufflepuff's cup, and Ravenclaw's diadem. We're not as stupid as you think.'

Voldemort looked shocked, almost fearful. His greatest secret was out and he didn't have any sort of backup--he hadn't expected anyone to ever figure that out. But he recovered quickly.

'I'm impressed, Potter. You may have found that particular barrier, but no matter: I am stronger than all of you even without my Horcruxes.'

'Your soul is so mutilated that you're barely alive without your Horcruxes,' Hermione said savagely. 'I could finish you off with one good curse if I wanted to.'

'You, a mere Mudblood, dare to challenge I, Lord Voldemort?' He was laughing now. He was staring back at her in disgust, in anger, in indignation. 'You know nothing of which you speak, girl,' he said quietly.

'I know more than you think I do,' Hermione shouted, taking a step forward and glaring at him for all she was worth. Harry put a hand on her shoulder and tried to pull her back.

'Hermione, don't make him angry until the others get here,' he whispered in her ear. 'We're not strong enough to take him on right now, not when he still has three Horcruxes.'

'I don't care!' Hermione yelled, shrugging him off. 'He has no right to do any of this, no right to rip apart families and destroy lives, to bring around this utter destruction!' She was directing the words to Harry but walking steadily toward Voldemort, never taking her eyes off him, so that the bubble they were in elongated to accommodate its new parameters.

Voldemort looked as though he was going to attack them, but was saved the trouble of doing so. There was a loud cough and a thunk and four people came clambering out of the tunnel back to the Womping Willow. They straightened up and gaped in horror at the scene before them. Ari screamed and clutched at Vince's arm so tight he winced.

Hermione beckoned them over and they squeezed their way through the outer wall of the bubble.

'I'm so glad you guys came,' she said, hugging Ginny and Ari in turn. 'We need all the help we can get.'

'Mate, you look horrible, are you okay?' Ron asked Harry, pulling him into a one-armed hug.

'Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Hermione and Malfoy got here in time to help. But we have a more pressing issue, as I'm sure you've noticed,' he said gesturing to Voldemort, who was looking at them with a kind of disgusted resentment.

'Weasleys,' he said in distaste. 'A whole family of blood traitors. And some new faces. Who, pray tell, are you?' he said, directing his gaze to Ari and Vince. Ari squeaked and ducked down behind Vince.

'Vince Scheuron and Ari Burton,' Vince told him, pulling Ari out from behind him and putting his arm around her.

'Obviously Americans,' Voldemort said. 'Not many wizards there. And yet we have a witch and wizard from Wizarding families as old as any. Interesting. And yet you hang around with riffraff like the Mudblood and yet another blood traitor,' he sneered.

Ari seemed to stiffen.

'Just because he doesn't like killing off muggle-borns doesn't make Drake a blood traitor,' she said quietly. 'It makes him decent. Unlike you.'

'Ah, decent, is he?' Voldemort repeated amusedly. 'And what does that make me? Discourteous? Degenerate? Corrupt? Evil? Ha! Such simple words from such a simple girl. Nothing can describe the awesome power of Lord Voldemort!'

Vince let out a low growl, but Ari gave him a warning look, and he quieted. 'I can't believe you are egotistical enough to call yourself "Lord!"' Vince snarled instead. Voldemort's smile vanished.

Harry turned to Draco.

'I think now would be a nice time for that Conjunctivitis Curse, don't you? Before anything gets out of hand,' he whispered as quietly as he could. Draco gave a discreet nod and pointed his wand at Voldemort cautiously from under Hermione's arm. He thought the incantation hard, took very careful aim, and fired.

Voldemort let out a yell and stumbled backward, his eyes closed. All seven of them took advantage of his pain and yelled, '_Stupefy_!' There was a blast like a cannon and dust filled the room, obscuring all vision. When it settled Voldemort was on the floor, motionless.

Hermione waved her wand and the bubble surrounding them dispersed. The crept cautiously toward the still form among the rubble, hardly daring to believe it.

'Is he…did we just …did that really work?' Ron gaped in disbelief. 'You'd never have guessed that a simple Stunner would take down You-Know-Who.'

'First of all, it was seven Stunners. Second of all, call him either Voldemort or Tom or Riddle or something like that, Ron,' Harry said. 'Remember: "Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself."'

'Well, I'm going to tie him up anyway, just in case,' Hermione said thoughtfully. 'Incarcerous.' Thick ropes flew out of her wand and wrapped themselves around Voldemort's limp form. 'Locomotor,' she said, flicking her wand at him. He floated a few feet off the ground, looking like some monstrous marionette.

'We should get him back up to school. Surely some of the teachers will be able to think up enough enchantments to keep him contained while we find the other Horcruxes and destroy them; he can't die with them still out there,' Harry said.

Draco, thinking the tunnel would be a bit tight for all eight of them, kicked the boarded-up door a few times until it splintered. He bowed them through it and led the way down the long path to Hogwarts. The battle was still raging.

'How do we get their attention?' Hermione asked. In response, Harry pointed his wand at his own throat and muttered, 'Sonorous.' His voice echoed across the grounds. Every single head turned toward them.

'Voldemort has been captured!' he boomed over them all. There was a cacophony of _pops_ as Death Eaters disaparated, and an even louder scream of applause. 'Will you all--'

Harry's voice was extinguished; a pair of hands had clamped around his throat…long, white fingers, hands large as pale spiders.


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

Voldemort hissed something in parseltongue, tightening his grip ever so slightly. Harry, who seemed to have understood it, made a soft choking noise and Voldemort smiled, a lipless smile thick with sadistic humor and maliciousness. Harry hissed something back, clutching at the hands constricting his airway.

Hermione shot a terrified look at Draco. He, too, looked frightened. How had Voldemort throw off their Stunners? Got out of the ropes? None of them were prepared for this, even with at least thirty more allies left on the grounds. He was just too powerful.

The teachers and students fortunate enough to be left standing--if you could call them fortunate, what with the injuries many of them had sustained--seemed to have frozen. None of them could think of anything to try to help. They couldn't try and curse Voldemort for fear of hitting Harry, and there was really nothing else to do.

Vince made to step forward, looking determined, but Harry held a hand out toward him and shook his head as vigorously as he could in such a strained position. Reluctantly, Vince nodded and stepped back. Ari put her arm around his waist reassuringly.

Hermione's mind seemed to be in hyper-speed. Despite this, she, too, drew a blank on the proper course of action; her judgment was clouded and befuddled by worry. It seemed to her distressed mind that Harry was surely a dead man walking.

They stood there for a moment, unable to do anything but watch in horror as Harry fought to pull Voldemort's hands from him. No one else moved, not a sound was made.

Ginny took one slow step forward, tears already streaming down her face. Harry met her eyes, and immediately stopped struggling. They shared a connection for a moment, just staring, everyone holding their breath. Then Ginny held out her hand. Voldemort didn't try to stop Harry as he reached out to take it. That was his undoing.

As soon as their hands made contact, a dull white glow began to radiate from their clasped hands. It grew gradually bigger and brighter, until Harry and Ginny both were engulfed in a blindingly white light, and Voldemort along with them.

Voldemort winced as the light progressed outward, licking at his hands around Harry's throat. It ebbed toward him, and he let out a low hiss that escalated to a howl as the light overwhelmed him. He let go of Harry immediately and leapt back, trying to get out of the way of a force as pure and good as the light of love.

Voldemort let out a shriek of pain as the light became so bright that Hermione threw her hands up to cover her eyes. It pulsed out in surges, washing over them all like waves on a beach, pleasantly warm and invigorating.

When the light receded, Voldemort was nowhere to be seen. Harry, on the other hand, was whole and sound, Ginny crying softly in his arms.

'I almost lost you…' she whispered, clutching at him. He shushed her tenderly and stroked her hair, a single tear forming at the corner of his eye.

Hermione was utterly baffled. And by the look on the others' faces, they were, too. Despite her confusion and amazement, she smiled, wiping away a tear of her own. Draco put an arm around her shoulder and she leaned against him gratefully; the day had been eventful, that was for sure.

'Oh, Harry, I'm so glad you're okay!' Hermione said, throwing her arms around his neck.

The whole group--Hermione, Draco, Vince, Ari, Harry, Ginny, and Ron--were all gathered in the warm, well-lit kitchen at the Burrow, delicious smells from the upcoming dinner wafting around them; McGonagall had ordered them to get some rest after the memorial service, and let the others clean things up a bit at Hogwarts.

'Ditto,' he said with a sigh of relief. He hugged her back tightly, beaming around at the group of them.

'Hermione, what do we do with our costumes?' Draco asked, looking a bit bashful in their 50's outfits. Ron sniggered a little in the background and Draco shot him a scathing look.

'We can borrow some of Ron and Ginny's clothes, I suspect--' Ron made a noise of dissent but Hermione shot him a look as well, and he silenced. '--and then we can take these back to YAT tomorrow.'

'Speaking of tomorrow,' Ari said, stepping forward. 'We have to go back and perform; it's opening night and we're all leads!'

'We can aparate back by then, but I want to spend just a shred of time with our old friends. After all, we haven't seen them in months,' Hermione said happily. 'Have you guys been introduced around to everyone?'

'If any of you don't know us by now, I'm Vince Scheuron and she's Ari Burton. Technically, it's Ariel but she doesn't like that name,' Vince said. Ari sighed and elbowed him in the ribs.

'What he said,' she sighed, rolling her eyes at the ceiling. Harry smiled brightly and laughed; despite the high mortality rate of the Final Battle, he had been in very high spirits.

The destruction of Voldemort had wrought a drastic change in Harry's attitude. Before he had been all serious, often brooding on things for hours at a time, worrying over small problems. Now, he laughed at everything, always smiled, was very energetic, and infectiously cheerful. It was definitely a change for the better.

Hermione laughed with him. With one look at Ari's face she stopped laughing, concerned by her gloomy frown.

'Ari, what's wrong?' she asked.

'Uh, nothing,' Ari said quickly, turning away. Hermione put a hand on her shoulder, and Ari turned abruptly and threw her arms around the other girl. 'Oh, Maya!' she cried.

Hermione was stunned. She could see no reason for Ari's actions, or her mood. The battle was won, the war was over, all her friends were good and alive: what was there to be sad about?

'Maya, you and Drake have been my best friend all year,' Ari said thickly, pulling back and wiping her eyes hastily. 'And after the show you're both going to come back here and live in London with all your British friends and you're going to forget all about me and Vince because we're in America!'

'Ari,' Hermione said patiently, touched that her new friends felt so strongly about her and Draco. 'How could you ever think we could forget you? I'm planning on coming back and visiting, and I'm sure I can manage to drag Draco along somehow,' she said, sniggering.

Ari gave a weak chuckle, shooting embarrassed glances around at Harry and the Weasleys. 'Sorry to just break down that way. It's just that I'm going to miss you so much! Now that the war's over, I don't know if I'm going to stay in Tallahassee or go back to Miami with my parents. And Vince could stay or move back to Georgia. I don't know if I'll be able to find you again,' she said sadly.

Hermione hugged her gently. 'You won't have to; we'll find you.'

'Hey! What about me?' Vince asked in mock outrage, trying to force his way into the hug. The girls laughed and allowed him to stand between them. 'Okay, now I feel loved,' he sighed.

'Fine, exclude us, then,' Ron called, grumpily.

'Group hug!' Ari called back, running and grabbing him by the hand. Everyone clustered around Ari in a big group hug, laughing and talking contentedly.

'Okay, we'll be back in two weeks,' Hermione said, tightening the belt to her costume and attempting to smooth Draco's hair.

'Right, we'll see you then,' Harry said. 'Now, go, or you'll be late for your performance,' he admonished, giving her a little push toward the end of the lane.

'Alright, alright,' she sighed, giving up on the lump in Draco's hair and turning back to the group that had assembled outside the Burrow to see them off. 'You sure you can't come to our performance? We could get you tickets,' she said earnestly.

'We'll come!' Neville volunteered, holding up his hand and raising Luna's for her. She, once again, looked as though she had just wondered past and stopped to watch a semi-interesting sideshow. Hermione smiled gratefully at them.

'Thanks. You can pick up your tickets on whatever night you want to come. You have the schedule and we'll be able to get you in on whatever night you have the chance to be there. Now, come on, you lot, we can't be dawdling around here forever,' she said to Draco, Ari and Vince.

She and Draco removed their accents and the four stood holding hands. They turned on the spot, disappearing and materializing behind the sheds at Young Actors Theater in Tallahassee, Florida. They snuck out from behind them and made their way into the dressing rooms without being seen, a difficult task with so many people running around backstage.

They adjusted their costumes--they had put them on before they left the Burrow--and touched up their makeup.

'Places, everybody, it's opening night!'

Hermione put a hand on her stomach, staring at her reflection in the mirror with a sudden urge to be sick. She saw Draco's reflection come up behind her in the mirror and take a hold of her waist.

'You're going to be fine,' he said reassuringly, trying to mask the nervousness in his own voice. 'You're an amazing singer, a fabulous actress, and you don't have to do much dancing anyway,' he said laughingly, trying to lighten her mood with humor.

Hermione let out a squeak like a mouse being trodden on and turned to face him, looking utterly terrified.

'Hermione, you're going to be fine. Everything's going to be fine.' She took a few steadying breaths and closed her eyes.

'I said places, people!'

'Come on.' Draco took her hand and pulled her to her spot behind the curtains.

Hermione could hear the babble of the audience and the see a few faces through the gap of the curtains. The lights began to dim and the voices died out as a cool female voice began the introduction to the show. She had to consciously suppress the urge to vomit.

The music started and the rest of the cast ran onstage; she and the T-birds didn't go on till the second scene. She watched for a moment until the bright stage lights began to make her head hurt. She turned away and paced around and around the prop table.

Draco stood in his spot on the opposite wing, bouncing on his heels and fidgeting with nervousness. He heard the ensemble sing the last long note of the Alma Mater and readied himself for his entrance, taking deep, slow breaths to calm his pounding heart.

Hermione turned back to the stage as a new song began and Draco came bounding onstage, looking as though he were having the time of his life. He sang his song, along with the T-birds and the other Pink Ladies, perfectly. _'Well, if he can do this thing, so can I,'_ she thought determinedly, steeling herself. _'Well…I'm on.'_

Hermione squeezed sheepishly through the crowded lobby, smiling shyly at the many theater patrons congratulating and complimenting her, looking for Draco. She had flowers in hand, which she suspected Neville of leaving for her, and she had changed out of her costume so as not to damage it wending through the throng.

She finally found him talking politely with an old woman who didn't seem to be able to see anything. She was hunched and knobby with thin wisps of white hair, clutching a cane.

'Drake! I've been looking for you. That went really well, didn't it?' Hermione said, coming up behind her boyfriend. 'Who's this you're talking to?'

'This is Betty Farkas, Tina's mother,' he introduced, with a significant glance that said "She's important, be nice." 'And, Ms. Betty, this is my girlfriend, Maya. She played Sandy.'

Ms. Betty smiled toothily at Hermione, turning her unfocused eyes toward her and holding out a gnarled old hand.

'Nice to meet you, Maya,' she said in a much stronger voice than should have come from such a frail-looking old woman. 'You were wonderful! Absolutely fabulous.'

'Well, thank you, Ms. Betty. I'm glad you enjoyed the show,' Hermione said politely, glad that the old lady couldn't see well enough to notice the blush coloring her cheeks. Draco did, though, and nudged her lightly, grinning teasingly at her. She nudged him back, a little harder.

'Hermione! Draco!' called a voice from over the heads of the crowd. Hermione turned and saw a pudgy hand extended above the mass of people, waving at them. She also thought she saw a mop of red hair, but decided she must be mistaken.

'Drake, come on, we need to go talk to Neville,' she urged, pulling him by the arm. 'It was nice meeting you, Ms. Betty,' she added before dragging Draco through the throng to where Neville was standing, hand still in the air to show them where he was.

But he wasn't alone.

Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Luna were with him, all beaming with pride at the sight of them. The pair of them were suddenly engulfed in applause, slaps on the back, hugs and compliments. They extricated themselves from the tangle of arms, laughing at their friends' enthusiasm.

'Hey! How'd you all get tickets?' Draco asked. Ron sniggered a little at the heavy stage makeup he wore and the American accent with which he spoke. Draco glared at him, and he had the diffidence to look embarrassed.

'The old-fashioned way: we bought them,' he said, turning a bit pink in the ears. Everyone knew the Weasleys had money troubles, but Hermione suspected that Harry had bought his and Ginny's tickets for them.

'So did you like the show?' she asked eagerly.

'Of course we did, Hermione!' Ginny said, clapping her on the back. 'How could we not with you two as the leads? But I have to admit, I really never pictured you as a singer,' she directed at Draco, who rolled his eyes, smiling nonetheless.

'Yeah, I get that a lot,' he said with an exaggerated sigh. 'Anyway, glad you guys could come to opening night. We'll be back in London in a week or two and we'll meet up with you guys then.'

'Right,' Harry said. He glanced around to make sure no muggles were listening in. There weren't, but he cast muffliato on those nearest anyway, who looked around in surprise, batting at invisible mosquitoes in their ears.

'We still have a lot of work to do at Hogwarts to make sure students can come back next year,' he said quietly. 'And McGonagall's resigning! We need to find a new headmaster.'

'No! McGonagall can't do that! She's been at that school almost as long as Dumbledore was,' Hermione gasped.

'How about Lupin?' Draco suggested. The others stared at him in surprise. 'What? Just because I said I didn't like him didn't mean I really did. Look at me and Maya. I said I never liked her either. I thought he was an excellent teacher.'

'Well, Lupin would make a good headmaster, considering if the other teachers and the parents would let a werewolf run the school,' Ron said. 'He wasn't exactly what you'd call popular among parents.'

'I'm pretty sure the students must have told their parents what a great teacher he was. They've got to let him be headmaster,' Ginny put in.

'Let's just hope he's not too modest agree to it,' Harry said.

Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna all hurried off to find a place to disaparate, while Hermione and Draco headed back to their little flat. It had a nice, secure feeling to it after the destruction they had seen. It really felt like home.

Hermione turned to look at Draco, smiling innocently just as she had the night they had arrived in their own little American apartment. 'Can I--'

'Of course you can sleep with me, Maya, you always do,' Draco said, picking Hermione up bridal style and carrying her to his bedroom. He dumped her unceremoniously on the bed and turned to his bureau to find pajamas. Hermione, looking offended, grabbed him from behind and pulled him back onto the bed on top of her.

'What'd you do that for?' he cried.

'For dropping me, of course!' she laughed. Draco rolled over so that he was facing her with her underneath him.

'Well, will this make up for it?' he asked quietly. He kissed her lightly, then deepened the kiss. Hermione's arms snaked their way around his neck and his around her waist. A few moments of heated snogging and he pulled back, smirking at her.

'Yes, yes it will,' Hermione breathed. They fell asleep in each other's arms, not even bothering to change out of their day clothes. They slept peacefully, not a single dream disturbing their tranquility.


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

The rest of the shows went flawlessly for Hermione and Draco. The only problems--from other cast members, of course--were a few flubbed lines, which were picked up easily, a misplaced prop, and a couple of wardrobe malfunctions.

Closing night, before their last show, the entire cast gathered on the stage in a big circle, holding hands for the routine pass-the-pulse exercise. Tina stood in the middle of the circle.

'This has been a fabulous year,' she said, beaming around at everyone. 'It's hard to believe that this it is closing night already! We have had some wonderful new participants, it's a pity we only got them for one year. I hope they will come back and do our summer show as well…' she said, adding a hopeful glance in Hermione's direction.

'Well, you all know the drill, I don't need to spell it all out for you,' Tina said, squeezing into the circle to send out the pulse. There was silence as each person squeezed the next person's hand, passing the pulse of energy on to their neighbor. When the pulse reached Tina again, they all raised their hands and said, 'We're all in this together!', their show quote.

The music for "We're All In This Together" came on and people hustled to get into groups. Hermione and Draco stood for a moment, baffled, until Ari and Vince beckoned them over toward a group of other juniors.

'It's a tradition at YAT,' Ari explained, putting her arm around Hermione's shoulders. 'Everybody gathers in their grade groups and sings this song. This year it just happens to be in the show. It's to remind us all that we make lifelong friendships here, and that we'll always be together, no matter what.'

Hermione, touched by this sentiment and despondent that this was her last show at YAT, let the tears come. She sang her heart out on that song, clutching to Ari and Draco on either side of her, swaying with the rest of the group. When the song ended, the actors dispersed toward the dressing rooms, many of the girls--and some of the guys even--had to redo their makeup to remove the trails of mascara down their cheeks.

Hermione had lost most of her stage fright on opening night after seeing the crowd enjoying the show, being able to remember all her lines and songs and dances, seeing Draco do the same. She touched up her makeup and straightened her costume, readying herself.

'You ready for our last show?' Draco asked, putting his arms around her waist from behind, just as he had done on opening night. Hermione placed her hands over his, letting him rest his chin on her head and swaying lightly.

'No,' she said frankly. 'I don't want this to end. As much as I miss Hogwarts, London, my parents, and my friends, I'll miss Ari, Vince, Leon, and YAT just as much when we leave.' Even she could feel the desperate truth in her voice.

'I know. Me too,' Draco said softly. He kissed the top of her head. 'Now, come on, before we miss our entrance.'

'Places! Places everyone!'

The two sighed, cast one more longing glance in the mirror, and hurried to their backstage spots.

The show went flawlessly, as it usually did, and the cast party went magnificently. A huge house, including a pool, filled with laughing, singing yatties. Hermione and Draco tried to have a good time, but everything was tainted by the reality that the next day they would return to London, to Hogwarts, away from their new friends and their new lives.

'Come on, guys, just lighten up and enjoy the party!' Vince said, dragging Hermione out onto the dance floor. 'How can you have good memories of your last day in America if you're too depressed to notice how much everyone here loves you?'

Hermione raised and eyebrow and Vince laughed, a light blush coloring his cheeks. 'You get the point,' he said, twirling her around. She gave herself an extra spin, but overbalanced and landed in Draco's arms; he had been dancing with Ari right behind them.

He laughed, too, and kissed her lightly. 'They're right: we should just enjoy tonight and face tomorrow, with all its difficulties, when it comes.' Hermione recognizing a wisdom in his words far beyond his years, nodded and melted into her love's strong arms, sighing contentedly.

The next day came and all too soon Hermione and Draco were to be seen, suitcases in hand, on the front steps of Young Actors Theater, hugging Ari and Vince goodbye. Hermione and Ari both were in tears, swapping assurances of continued communication. Vince and Draco exchanged dignified farewells, though each was trying to hide his own sadness at the parting of the ways.

'I promise we'll come back soon,' Hermione said tearfully, picking up her suitcase and standing beside her boyfriend. 'Once we get Hogwarts rebuilt--though that might take a while--you guys need to have a tour, since you never got to go there.'

'Looking forward to it,' Vince said, holding Ari, who was too overcome with melancholy to speak. 'Well…I guess this is goodbye.'

'It'll never be goodbye,' Hermione choked out, wiping one more tear from her cheek and taking Draco's hand in hers. Not daring to look back at her dear friends, she turned on the spot, disappearing into the tight, black void.

They reappeared in Hogsmeade. It wasn't dark and brooding as it had seemed the last time they had been there, but much brighter, more welcoming. It had been a kind of thoroughfare during the rebuilding of Hogwarts, seeing as people had to aparate there to get into the Hogwarts grounds at all.

They were greeted cheerfully by Rosmerta from the doorway to the Three Broomsticks, and by Aberforth, Dumbledore's younger brother, from outside the Hog's Head. Many people waved at them on their way toward the gates flanked by winged boars that marked the entrance to Hogwarts.

McGonagall had gotten the restoration of the castle started before retiring, and it was progressing nicely. They had managed to repair the dormitories so that those who were helping didn't have to return home every night. They looked almost exactly like they had before the Last Battle, just newer, more pristine, less messy.

Most of the corridors were relatively well-established once more, so you weren't in danger of crashing through to the floor below if you stepped in the wrong place, so all that was left were the Great Hall, the entrance hall, and the classrooms where the fights had originated.

'Hermione, Draco, there you are!' Harry called, flagging them down. Draco smiled at him. He had never heard Harry call him by his first name before, and he was touched by the simple gesture of friendship, or at least the lack of hatred it implied. 'We were beginning to think you weren't coming home at all,' he joked, hugging Hermione tightly. He shook Draco's hand with no resistance. Apparently, Draco's actions in the Shrieking Shack, and his relationship with Hermione, had changed Harry's mind about him.

'Harry, we could never stay away from Hogwarts, no matter how decrepit it is,' Hermione sighed, looking up at the newly-repaired turrets and towers. 'It's almost done, isn't it? We promised Ari and Vince a tour once it was.'

'Nearly. Should be done in a couple of days. Then we still need to contact Lupin and convince him to take the Headmaster post. I haven't been able to get a definite location, though,' Harry said, leading them through the cracked doors of the entrance hall.

'I bet I could find out from my father if he's still with Fenrir Greyback, though I doubt he would be now that the Dark Lord has finally fallen,' Draco offered with a shudder. He hated visiting his father in Azkaban, but he would bear it if it meant he would have permission to threaten his dear father for information.

Though he frowned at Draco's use of "the Dark Lord" instead of Voldemort, Harry agreed to this plan of action. 'Do you want me to come with you?' he offered, though reluctantly; Harry still had some problems with Draco, their sixth year still fresh in his mind. 'I think I might have a bit of an intimidation factor after the Last Battle and all.'

'I guess…come if you want to,' Draco agreed pleasantly; after all, he had no problems with Harry. Their "mutual" discomfort was actually more one-sided. 'But my father hates you. His pride might withhold him from saying anything just to be sure you didn't get it from him.'

'Fair enough point, but if he knows you're working with us now he should know we'll get it anyway so it shouldn't matter, should it?' he pointed out.

'Right. Let's go.'

'Hello, father.'

'You are no son of mine.'

'Good. Then we can drop to pleasantries,' Draco said, sitting down across the plate-glass window from his father; even Azkaban wasn't entirely without technology. He and Harry were speaking through small speakers to Lucius Malfoy, a high security prisoner, considered very dangerous.

But he didn't look it.

His formerly-sleek blonde hair now hung lank and greasy over his cheeks, which were hollow, and his skin was waxy. His prolonged exposure to the dementor guards had given his eyes the same haunted look that Sirius had once had. He didn't hold himself with dignity and superiority anymore, but seemed to shrink away from the light, his face twisted in disgust at the sight of the son that had betrayed him and the boy that destroyed his master.

'We have only one question for you:' Draco said icily. Harry kept quiet, as they had agreed. He would let Draco try first and if Lucius gave him any trouble, he could step in. 'Do you know where Remus Lupin is?'

Lucius eyed them both with as much hatred as he could muster. 'Maybe,' he said stubbornly. 'What's in it for me if I do?'

'You might forget, Malfoy Sr., that I carry a bit of authority here,' Harry put in nonchalantly. 'So it's really your entire life at stake. You answer us, you live a few more years in hell. You don't, and you get the Kiss within minutes. The choice is yours.' He paused to see Lucius' reaction. It was subtle. He glared at them shrewdly, weighing his options. He seemed to decide, after a moment of thought, that he was too cowardly to face death, and there really wasn't anything to lose my telling them.

'I do, indeed,' he said lengthily. 'In an underground cave system removed from the mainstream, out in a gully somewhere, with a community of "good" werewolves. The ones that want to control their powers and keep from hurting people,' he scoffed. 'And I can show you the way there…in person,' he added smoothly, a shadow of his old smirk returning.

'Really?' Draco asked dubiously. 'You want us to let you out of Azkaban to show us the way to the friendly werewolf lair, and then expect you to come back quietly? How stupid do you think we--'

'Done,' Harry said.

Draco stared at him.

'What?' he asked in shocked disbelief. Harry's face was set, a canny look in his eyes. 'Are you insane?'

'Conference,' Harry said, taking Draco by the arm and leading him into a separate room. 'Think about it. There's nothing he's going to be able to do. We're both capable wizards with a grudge against him, a wandless has-been. It's not like we'll hesitate to kill him if he attacks us.'

'I guess,' Draco acquiesced reluctantly. 'Fine, I'll let him out, but we're sleeping in shifts on the way.'

'Deal.'

They reentered the communication room where Lucius was waiting smugly for them. 'We've decided to take you up on your offer,' Draco informed his father with thinly veiled disinclination. 'You are going to lead us to the werewolf lair. If you try to run or attack us or disobey in any way, we will have no qualms about killing you.'

'In fact, we'd be eager to do the honors,' Harry put in.

'Yes, now, when should we leave, how far are we going, how long is it going to take, and what should we bring with us?' he asked briskly.

'Like I said, it's far removed,' Lucius said, a snappish, businesslike tone to his voice now, leaning forward keenly. 'I'm fairly certain you're not going to let us aparate, so I'd say it's a few hundred miles. About a week and a half's walk from the Hogwarts grounds. Obviously, we need food for that long and something to give the werewolves in case the mongrel isn't there--'

'Wait! You said you knew he was there,' Harry said sharply.

'He was there when I was last, and that was a few months at the least,' Lucius said indifferently. 'But where else would he go? The Wizarding world still shuns werewolves and most other part-humans. If logic serves, that's the only place for him.'

'We'll check it out anyway, Harry, and if he's not there we'll just aparate back here and put _this_ back where it belongs,' Draco said, gesturing to his sneering father with obvious distaste.

'Right.'

They finalized the details and set up a date to leave. Harry and Draco left for Hogwarts, letting Lucius return to his high-security, 5x5ft cell, eagerly awaiting the next day, when he would finally get his last bid at freedom.


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

'Wait a second, you're leaving?' Hermione asked, her face falling.

'Hermione, it won't be for too long, just a week or two,' Draco said, putting his arm around her. 'It's to find Lupin. We need Lupin to come be Headmaster. Without a Headmaster, we can't open Hogwarts again, and we want to open Hogwarts again, don't we?'

'Yes, but…who am I going to practice with?' she asked, putting on her best puppy-dog pout. They still played through all their scales, exercises, and, of course, their signature song every night before they went to bed. She couldn't very well play a duet alone, could she?

'I'll be back. Me and Harry are going to escort my father to this werewolf lair and then we'll be back. I promise,' Draco said, kissing her on the forehead. Then he picked up his backpack. 'See you in a week,' he said, slinging it over his shoulder.

'Give me something to remember you by?' Hermione suggested with a sly smile. He smiled back and kissed her gently.

'I'm taking a trip, not dying, Hermione. That hold you over?' he asked teasingly. She nodded bemusedly and waved him out the door. She sat back on her bed, looking around aimlessly. _'Now what do I do?'_ she thought dejectedly. _'He didn't think to let me come? Humph. Leave it to a boy to think a girl can't handle it.'_

'Hey, Herms, what're you doing in here all alone?'

Hermione didn't have to look to know who it was; Only one person ever called her "Herms." 'I don't know, Ron, just being sad, I guess,' she answered without turning around.

'What for?' he asked, plopping down on the bed beside her.

'Draco and Harry are leaving to go track down Lupin and they won't be back for a whole week,' Hermione answered, sighing heavily.

'Wow. You seem tense, Hermione. Do you want a massage?' he offered. Hermione nodded wearily and he scooted around behind her. He began kneading her shoulders gently, and she could feel the tension draining from her muscles the second he started.

She allowed him to lay her down on the bed, leaning over her and massaging down into her lower back. She sighed, contentedly this time, and let herself drift off a bit.

Hermione sat up with a start. She shook her head a bit to clear it. There was a weight by her side pinning the blankets around her to the bed. She looked down to see Ron, sleeping soundly, stretched out beside her. She smiled at him, pushing his hair out of his eyes.

'_As much as he annoys be I have to admit I've missed him,'_ she thought fondly. She climbed off the bed and folded the blankets over to cover him. Immediately, he rolled over, pulling the blankets with him. She giggled. _'Just like Ron to hog all the blankets.'_

Hermione tiptoed her way out of the bedroom and into the kitchen of the sprawling flat that she, Draco, Ron, Harry, Ginny, Neville and Luna were sharing on the outskirts of London, within Aparating distance of Hogsmeade. Ginny was leaning on the bar, a mug of coffee in her hands and a smile on her lips.

'What were you and Ron doing in there for so long?' Ginny asked as Hermione poured herself a cup of coffee.

'How long were we in there?' Hermione asked, looking at her watch. 'We were in there for _two hours_?' she asked, astounded that she had slept that long.

'Yeah. What exactly were you doing? Draco wouldn't want to hear anything disappointing, would he?' Ginny asked teasingly.

'Ginny, you know I would never cheat on Draco, especially not with Ron,' Hermione said. 'He came in and said I looked tense. So he offered to give me a massage. Then I fell asleep, and when I woke up a few minutes ago, he was asleep too.'

'Right.'

'Ginny!

'Okay, okay! I know you weren't doing anything, I just like messing with you,' she confessed, putting her free hand up in defense and walking over to the sofa of the adjoining living room. 'He's a big mush-ball, isn't he?'

'Yeah. Say, how are you guys doing with your instruments?' Hermione asked, suddenly much more enthusiastic.

'Oh, yeah! I managed to play most of the two octave scales on flute, Ron plays the two octave chromatic scale at every opportunity, Harry is still working on circular breathing (but he's not getting any better), Luna's just Luna, and Neville is amazing at that french horn! He's nearly reached the extent of the range a french horn can go, which is, like, five octaves. It's astounding how adept he is at that thing,' Ginny said, sounding very impressed.

'Oh, I wish I could hear you all play, it would be so much fun,' Hermione said wistfully. 'But Harry just left and I want to hear you all together. But,' she said, smiling slyly. 'I might be able to get Ron to play me and Draco's duet with me so I don't get rusty. We scored the whole thing a few months ago.'

'Believe me, he'd be ecstatic to play anything with you. One, because he never misses a chance to show off. Two, because he still fancies y--'

'I do not!'

Hermione burst out laughing as Ron poked his head, ears flaming, out of her bedroom.

'What are you laughing at?' Ron demanded, storming up to them and throwing Ginny, who was also doubled up laughing, a very dirty look.

'No, no, Ron, it's not you!' Hermione assured him. 'It's just that the timing was absolutely perfect on that. Any other moment in that entire conversation would have been fine but you just happened to come out on that specific instance. Priceless.'

Ron didn't even dignify that comment with a response. He just sat stiffly in a large armchair and glared at them both.

'Maybe this will make you feel better: Ron, would you like to learn a duet that I would love to play with you?' Hermione asked, looking him in the eye now that she had stopped laughing.

'Well…I guess so. You know I can't stay mad at you, Herms,' he conceded.

'Yea! I knew we could have a happy ending!' Ginny said in an over-animated attempt at sarcasm.

'Now you I can stay mad at,' Ron hissed, leaping toward her, making her shriek and fall backwards off her chair. 'Ha! You're so easy.'

'I hate you,' Ginny replied weakly from the floor.

'Are you sure he's taking us the right way?' Draco asked irritably.

'Of course not, he's the one leading isn't it?' Harry snapped back.

Two days had gone by. They were trudging wearily behind a suspiciously chipper Lucius. Their feet hurt, the straps of their backpacks were cutting into their shoulders, sweat was dripping into their eyes, and still on they walked.

'How far away are we?' Harry called ahead to where Lucius was walking, a sprightly step quite at odds with Draco's current mood. In face, it was quite annoying him.

'Only about 30 miles. It should take a few more days yet,' he called over his shoulder, not slowing a bit. He could walk surprisingly fast for a man of his years, let alone one who had been sitting in jail for over a year.

'I can't take much more of this,' Harry hissed to Draco. 'My feet feel like they're going to fall off. How are you able to deal with this?'

'I'm not taking it any better than you are, Harry,' Draco muttered, wiping his forehead with the back of his sleeve. 'Remind me again why we can't just levitate this stuff?' he said, gesturing to the heavy pack slung over his shoulder.

'Because there are muggles in the area and if one of them saw three men walking along with floating backpacks they would go insane,' Harry repeated for what seemed like the umpteenth time. Each time it was said it seemed to be weaker and weaker of an excuse. 'I suggest we hide in a clump of trees and Aparate.'

'But that would make it easy for Lucius to escape,' Draco warned, returning to the only defense he had against that particular shortcut, besides that it was taking the easy road, and that seem just too clichéd to even consider.

'I don't care. I say two days is enough of this torture. And what exactly is he so happy about?' Harry asked crossly, nodding toward Lucius, who was humming a tuneless little ditty under his breath up ahead.

'I guess he's just happy to be out in the open again,' Draco said. 'He's been in solitary for a long time. He hasn't seen real sky for almost a year. Must be nice for him.'

'Yippee for him,' Harry muttered tetchily.

'Screw it, we're Aparating!' Harry said loudly two hours later, dropping his backpack heavily on the ground by their tiny campfire. 'I have had enough of this! Lucius you are going to Aparate us to the werewolf lair first thing in the morning, and don't try anything funny,' he warned ominously, before storming into the cramped two-person tent they shared.

'I guess that means I'm taking first watch?' Draco called after him. There was a noncommittal grunt from the tent. 'Okay, then.' And he plopped down in front of the tent, wand in hand. 'Go on, Lucius get inside. And make sure you take us to the right place. I don't fancy getting attacked by Death Eaters the second we appear.'

Lucius smiled broadly and nodded before squeezing into the tent.

'Come on, come on, we don't have all day!' Harry called impatiently, stuffing his sleeping bag into his backpack. It was just past dawn the next morning and Harry seemed eager to get to the werewolf lair. He had been hassling them to hurry up ever since he had awoken an hour ago.

'Keep your hair on, Harry,' Draco said, grinning slightly. 'Uh, no pun intended.' Harry just rolled his eyes and continued to stuff things in his pack. 'We should go in a minute or two. Lucius, make sure you know exactly where we're going. I don't fancy getting splinched this early in the morning.'

'Well, I'm ready to go. How about you fellows?' Lucius asked. He seemed positively chipper, and, quite frankly, it was creeping Draco out. Not once during his childhood had he seen his father this happy, not once. A certain trepidation, an almost premonitory suspicion, began to take root in his mind, no matter how hard he tried to push it away. Everything had to go as planned, it just had to.

'Come, come, boys. Time is of the essence,' Lucius chimed, throwing his pack over his shoulders and gesturing for them to join him. Harry trudged over and grasped Lucius's upper arm tightly and extended his other hand to Draco, who clasped it in his own.

'One three,' Harry said. 'One…'

Draco eyed Lucius suspiciously. His father's eyes were wide, excited, his eyebrows rising higher and higher in his anticipation.

'…Two…'

Draco's sense of an impending disaster was growing stronger, Lucius's malicious exhilaration becoming more pronounced.

'…Three!'

In the split second as Lucius turned, Draco saw with startling clarity what he was about to do, and the only way to stop it. Instead of letting himself be towed along by Lucius's Aparition, Draco turned on the spot, dragging Harry with him into the sucking blackness.

He could feel Harry's hand slipping away, as if he was trying to stay with Lucius, trying to follow the plan. Draco gripped his hand, tugging at it, trying to pull him out of the crushing, airless void. Finally, Harry seemed to let go of Lucius's arm, knocking into Draco's shoulder as a woodland scene materialized around them, knocking him off kilter as he landed hard on the ground.

He sat up quickly and looked around, but he and Harry were the only one in the deserted clearing; Lucius was gone.

'Harry, I know what you're going to say, but I…Harry?' he asked, glancing down at the boy by his side. 'Oh, God,' he muttered, kneeling down beside him.

Harry's whole left side was drenched in blood. Draco hurriedly ripped open his shirt to expose Harry's left arm, where the blood seemed to be coming from. There was a sizable chunk of flesh, roughly the size of a grapefruit, missing from his upper arm. It looked like it had been scooped out austerely with a knife.

'_I jinxed us, didn't I? Oh, perfect, I never have been good at this splinching stuff. I mean, I know the spell, I just suck at it,'_ Draco thought, panicking. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down. _'Okay. I can do this. Harry's depending on me now. I've got to do this, for Hermione, at least.'_

Draco pulled out his wand and pointed it at Harry's wound, his hand shaking slightly. He had always been a bit squeamish around blood but now was no time to get queasy. He stilled the shaking in his hand and muttered the spell as best he could. The would began to reseal itself immediately, new skin stretching tightly across the fresh wound, filling out until it was nearly as good as new.

There would be scarring but maybe Hermione would be able to fix it when they got back. Hopefully there would be no lasting damage, nothing disabling. Surely Harry had enough scars to be getting on with already. Luckily, it was his left arm, so if there was anything crippling it wouldn't affect his magic.

Draco siphoned the blood from around Harry and then lay back on the ground beside him, drained. His father had escaped, leaving him with a splinched and unconscious friend (sort of), with no information, and nothing to show for his efforts of the past three days.

He had no idea how long he sat there but by the time Harry stirred, he was sure it had been almost an hour. Harry groaned softly, shifting slightly. Draco sat up quickly and leaned over him. Harry tried to sit up but paled visibly of the little color he had regained since their arrival. Draco pushed him back down gently.

'Oh, what happened?' Harry moaned, rubbing his head gingerly. 'Where are we? Where's Lucius? Did we find Lupin?'

'You got splinched, I don't know, I don't know, and no,' Draco answer the questions in the order they were asked.

'I got splinched?' Harry asked incredulously.

'Yes, and you lost a lot of blood, so stop moving,' Draco advised, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder to still the latter's persistent attempts to sit up. 'I have no idea where we are, only an inkling of where Lucius went, and obviously we're not at any werewolf lair.'

'How did we get separated from Lucius? He was supposed to be leading us,' Harry asked confusedly. Draco looked away.

'Well, I never saw my father that happy in my entire life, so I could only think of one thing that would make him as excited as he was today: A reunion with his fellows. Just as we were about to Aparate, I could see that was his whole plan from the beginning, that he made up the whole story about the werewolf lair to get out of Azkaban. He was going to take us directly to the Dark Lord's last surviving supporters.

'So I tried to take us in another direction, even though I had no idea where I was going. I just knew it would be a really bad idea to pop in on a group of desperate Death Eaters. But you didn't come easy. You were trying to follow Lucius, and by the time you came with me, you were confused and weren't concentrating very well. So you got splinched.

'I managed to fix it, mostly, but there will be some scarring. Hermione or someone might be able to fix it when we get back, but you won't be able to go anywhere for a little while, you're too weak right now. So you should just get some rest right now, and we'll figure this out later.'

Harry looked down to examine his wound, but it made him pale again, so he decided to take Draco's word for it. He nodded, looking mollified, and relaxed a bit. Soon enough, his exhaustion carried him to sleep, Draco soon afterward.

**A/N Sorry that Harry's injury sounds suspiciously like Ron's in HP7 but I didn't want to do something too bad like cut off an arm or something because I don't think Draco would have been able to regrow an arm to save him. Sorry again, but, yeah, just deal with it. **


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

When Draco awoke it was dark, a small sliver of moon just barely visible through the canopy of leaves. He rolled over to look at Harry, who was sleeping soundly. Draco sat up, dusting dirt from his back and picking leaves out of his hair.

'_There's no need to wake him right now, he needs his rest. I guess we could just stay here through the night, but I'll need to set up some protective spells,'_ Draco thought, standing up and stretching. He pulled out his wand and began to cast some spells to hide them from view; He would prefer they didn't get attacked when Harry was so weak and vulnerable.

With that done, Draco sat down to wait for Harry to stir. They didn't have any shelter but the sky was clear and it was a cool night, not cold, but comfortable.

'_Well, I always did want to go camping,'_ Draco thought bitterly, sighing. He let himself slip off into a doze, thinking of Hermione, wishing he could kiss her, hearing their song playing over and over in his head.

'This is a really good countermelody, Hermione, did you make this up?' Ron asked, sounding impressed as he read through the sheet music she had given him.

'No, Draco did. The first day back at school I was out on the balcony playing through the melody when he just sat down and started playing this. Then we started talking, and we got to know each other. He's really a good guy, Ron,' Hermione said delicately. Ron scowled, but didn't contradict her. He seemed to think he was lucky to even be spending this much time with her.

'Well, do you think you could sight read it?' Hermione asked hopefully, holding her flute up at the ready.

'I think so,' Ron answered, putting his clarinet to his lips. Hermione counted them off and began playing.

Ron's tone was clear and smooth, and he kept up with her well. The song took on a bit of a different tone with a clarinet instead of a sax, the timbre of the instruments was different, but it didn't matter much. The song was still beautiful, and the harmonies still meshed well. When it was over, Hermione smiled at him.

'That was wonderful, Ron,' she praised. 'You're a really good sight-reader, and you've gotten much better from the last time I heard you play. Good job, I know how hard it is to learn to play well.'

'It's been great, though,' Ron said, turning to face her, a light of excitement shining in his eyes. 'This is something I really enjoy. It's better than Quidditch even, and coming from me, you know how big a development that is.'

'Wow, I didn't know you were so in to this,' Hermione said, hugging him tightly. 'Well, I'm glad you've found something you really enjoy, Ron. Keep practicing and you'll end up a pro. You can go anywhere with this, Ron, I'm sure of it.'

'Thanks, Herms, thanks,' Ron said, hugging her back.

Hermione could practically feel the contentment radiating off of him, a sort of confidence she had never seen in him. Ron had always been the insecure one, always overshadowed, always needing reassurance. It had almost been their downfall last year, but they managed to make it through, and now Ron had found something that was all his, that he was good at, and that no one else could take away from him. It was a wonderful thing to see him so happy and self-assured with his clarinet.

'Hey, Herms, is there any chance of turning your little duo into a trio?' Ron asked hopefully as they parted. Hermione hesitated; How could she possibly put this gently.

'Ron, this is me and Draco's special…_thing,_ you know? It's how we met, the reason we let go of the past and focused on the future, what brought us together,' she said delicately, hoping Ron's newfound confidence would overcome his jealousy. 'It's just something we need to do together, a bonding experience. You understand, right?' She could see by the darkening scowl on Ron's face that, no, he didn't. 'Ron--'

'No, it's okay, Hermione,' Ron snapped, a long-suppressed bitterness surfacing so fast it surprised her. holding up a hand to silence her. 'I'm just someone to pal around with while _Drakie-poo_ isn't here, I get it, keep your skills sharp to impress him when he gets back.

Ron stood up sharply and stormed out of the room, his head held high and his ears flaming. Hermione just sat there, her flute still in her hands, staring at the spot her friend had just vacated. _'"Former-friend" is a more fitting term now, I bet,'_ she thought, tears welling up in her eyes. _'Great, Hermione, you just blew it big time. He just got his confidence up and you smash it down again in 3 seconds. Way to go, Herms.'_

''Mione, what's up with Ron?' Ginny asked quietly, sticking her head in. 'He just left and he looked kind of pissed. What did you say to him that upset him so much?' She came over and sat in Ron's recently evacuated seat.

'Well, he asked if he could join me and Draco to make a trio,' Hermione explained, a pained look flashing across her face. 'But, you know, it's just something me and Draco do to bond and remember how I met the real him, so--'

'Hermione, no! You didn't turn him down!' Ginny explained, looking horrorstruck. 'That's the worst thing you could've done right now. He's been complaining about missing you every since you and Draco were in America, and even more so that you were there with him and not you. He was way jealous and you just turned him away. Do you have any idea how much that must have hurt him?'

'Well, what was I supposed to do?' Hermione bristled, crossing her arms in a huff. 'I was being completely reasonable. Plus, it wasn't a definitive no. I'll have to discuss it with Draco and it's not like I could've spoken for him without having any prior input on the subject.'

'Never mind. Just be sure to talk to him later,' Ginny sighed, shaking her head. Then she too exited the room, once again leaving Hermione alone and confused.

'Do feel strong enough to go home?'

'Yes, yes! I've been strong enough for two hours!'

'Hey, I'm just being careful. I don't want you passing out from blood loss on the way back!'

'I'm fine! All I want is to go home, so let's stop all this bickering and _get going_!'

'Okay, okay! Sheesh…'

Draco rolled his eyes and began to take down the enchantments around their little clearing. It was early the next morning and Harry had been sitting there for two hours while Draco tried to find reasons to keep him there, just as a precaution. There was no way he would risk something happening to Harry, for more than one reason.

One, he was trying to prove to Harry that he wasn't evil, that he was trying to be his friend, that any friend of Hermione's was a friend of his.

Two, Hermione would kill him if anything happened to her best friend while he was with him.

'Let's just Aparate back, that'll take the least time,' Harry said.

'Harry, are you sure it's a good idea to be Aparating again so soon? I mean--'

'Malfoy, let it go!'

'Okay, okay! Sheesh…'

'And will you stop saying that!'

'Fine! Is that better?'

They finished cleaning up in silence and clasped hands, though reluctantly. They turned on the spot, falling into that tight black tube, and reemerging in the living room of their flat.

'Harry!'

Ginny leapt off the couch and threw herself in his arms, nearly knocking him over.

'Hey, Gin! Ouch…' Harry coughed. Ginny let go of him immediately.

'Oh, Harry, I'm sorry. Are you okay? Why's your sleeve all ripped up? Did you guys find Lupin? Why are you back so early?'

'Ginny, let him breath, will you?' Draco said. 'Lucius turned out to be a liar--go figure--and Harry got splinched. We were staying in the woods somewhere for a while to help him get stronger.'

'Oh, sorry,' Ginny said quietly.

'It's okay, Gin. I'm fine, I promise. Draco's just being paranoid,' he added, scowling at Draco.

'Well, forgive me for trying to make sure you got back in one piece,' Draco said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

'Make sure who gets back in one piece?' Hermione asked, stepping out her room looking concerned. It brightened when she saw Draco though. 'Draco! Ooh, it's so good to have you back!' She threw herself on him, much like Ginny had on Harry, and he hugged her back tightly.

'Hey, 'Mi. I missed you too,' he said, kissing her lightly. 'Harry got splinched, and now he's getting mad at me for making sure he got back alright,' he added, giving Harry a scowl of his own.

'Harry, are you okay?' Hermione asked worriedly. She examined the round scar on his arm and smiled. 'It'll be fine. A little scarring, but you can fix that later. And, Harry, you should be grateful to Draco. He could have let you bleed on the forest floor, but he decided to help you.'

Harry stared at her like she had gone mad. 'Hermione! How can you always take his side on things?'

'Harry, you're blowing this way out of proportion. He practically saved your life and you get mad at him for trying to look out for you? All you had to say was "thank you" and everyone would've gotten what they deserved.'

Harry didn't even say anything, he just glowered at her, turned, and stormed out of the room. Hermione gaped after him.

'Are all men insane with jealousy today?' she yelled in frustration.

'What do you mean, "insane with jealousy?"' Draco asked curiously.

'Oh, well, Harry's just being an ass,' Hermione said, sitting heavily down on the couch. 'And Ron wanted to make our duet into a trio and I said that it was something that just you and me did to bond and stuff and he got really mad and ran out. So, uh, you might want to watch out for him,' she warned.

'Right. I'll make sure not to run into him in a dark alley somewhere,' Draco said jokingly.

'Well, really Ron's the only one who's jealous. Harry just thinks you're evil and has my best interests at heart. He's really overprotective. Sort of like Ron is of you, Gin,' Hermione reasoned.

'Aren't you older than Harry?' Draco asked.

'Yes, but that doesn't stop him from trying to protect everyone he cares about. He wants me to be safe and he thinks you're bad news. Doesn't take a genius to put two and two together,' Hermione said glumly.

'You know Harry, he'll get over it eventually. There must be something we can do to prove to him that you're not a bad guy,' Ginny said, directing her last comment to Draco.

'I don't know, he seems hell-bent on despising me,' Draco said blandly, shrugging. 'Ron, too, I guess. Hermione, you really know how to choose your friends, don't you?'

'Well, they only want me to be happy,' Hermione said defensively.

'But if they really wanted you to be happy, they would see that you're happy with me. You are happy with me, aren't you?' Draco asked quietly.

'Yes, Draco, I'm very happy with you,' Hermione said, smiling. She reached up and kissed him sweetly, hugging him to her.

'Ahem, still here,' Ginny said awkwardly. They ignored her. 'Okay, I'll just be leaving you two lovebirds alone, then won't I?' she said, sneaking out of the living room to grant them some privacy.

They broke apart and rested their foreheads together, their eyes closed and their hearts racing. They stayed there for a moment, relishing being back together again.

'I missed you so much,' Hermione breathed.

'I was only gone for three days, 'Mi,' Draco chuckled. 'You have separation issues.'

'No, I don't, I just love you too much to have you that far away,' she said, kissing him again.

'I love you, too.'

'Aw!'

They looked up to sees Ginny, Neville, and Luna all standing in the doorway, looking down at them with those annoying sappy expressions you see in sad movies. Draco rolled his eyes and threw a pillow at them. They scurried back into the dining room, giggling.

'Have I ever told you how much your friends annoy me?' Draco asked grouchily.

'Too many times to count,' Hermione sighed, grinning at him. 'But at least those three approve of our relationship. It's Harry and Ron you need to watch out for. I'm not sure which one's more dangerous, though. Harry's overprotective, powerful, and hates you, but Ron's jealous and has big anger management issues. Both threats.'

'I can handle them,' Draco assured her. 'I took down Britt Lewis with one poke. When in doubt, I can call for a muggle duel and take them down like that. Much easier, and no one has to die.'

'Right,' Hermione sighed, frowning this time. 'But if you do end up dueling one of them, just keep in mind that they really do have good intentions.'

'Well, it seems that their road of good intentions will lead where such roads always do,' he said wisely. He hugged Hermione one more time, then excused himself, saying he needed rest. She knew it was true, they sounded like they needed a nap after what they did.

Draco entered the room he shared with Hermione and fell immediately onto the bed in exhaustion. He fell asleep almost instantly. Hermione stood in the doorway, watching him, thinking about how lucky she was to have him.

'_I know Harry and Ron are just trying to keep me safe. But he really is a good guy. But they don't think so. Well, they're being gits. But they're still your best friends. If they can't accept us and our relationship, then are they really my friends? Of course they are! They've been your friends since first year. But they always think I'm such a bookworm._

'_But Ron gets jealous over every little thing, which means he really must like me. But he can get another girl, he's not quite as hopeless with girls as he thinks he is. And Harry's just overprotective, which I'm sure I can break him of._

'_They've both got someone to turn to. Draco doesn't. He doesn't have any other real friends, and his family life isn't great. I'm just about the only real relationship he's ever had. I'll talk to Harry and Ron tomorrow. If they can't see how happy I am with him, and leave him alone, then they aren't my friends.'_

As much as she hated thinking it, it was what had to be done. Harry and Ron were out of line, and she had to put them straight again.


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 20

Hermione ushered her two best friends of over seven years into her bedroom, sighing heavily as they sat down on her bed. She remained standing in the doorway with her arms folded wearily over her chest, looking at them. They exchanged a confused glance before looking at her as if to say "go on."

"Guys," she said in an almost pleading tone. "What is it that you two hate so much about Draco? What evil qualities are you seeing in him that I'm not? If there's something you know that I don't, then don't you think I should know?"

"Have you forgotten entirely about last year?" Harry demanded. "About Dumbledore? About the huge fight? The Death Eaters he let into the school? The entirety of your magical education? How he insulted you, us, your entire being? What happened so much that you suddenly see this drastic change in him?"

"Yeah, Hermione," Ron piped up, as if he just wanted to get a word in over Harry's little tirade. "Are you really sure it's him that's changed and not you?"

"I never said he changed," Hermione said, stepping closer to them and unfolding her arms to portray a more open stance. "I said I realized that wasn't a bad person. It may seem like a change, in both of us, I guess. Maybe it is really me that's changed, but I don't think it's for the worse. Harry, you of all people know the sway that Voldemort had over people. You yourself fell under it once or twice, and you don't deny that it's powerful. Draco was under that for his entire life, plus his father's pressure. If you can manage to keep up a friendly façade with a childhood like that I would be impressed. As soon as his father died, and Voldemort couldn't reach him, his entire act changed, the face he put forth. He stopped trying to please people he didn't like or agree with, and he was just himself. That's who I see. You refuse to acknowledge any sort of Draco that isn't quite as evil as your previous misconceptions of him. Now who's being unreasonable? Now who's not seeing the truth?" she said.

"Hermione--"

"No!" she yelled at Ron before he could spout anymore nonsense at her. "No, I've had enough of you two always protesting our relationship! Like Draco said, if you were really my friends, you would want me to be happy, and I'm happy with him. I'm really, truly happy. I can see as clearly as you can that you're trying to make me choose. I beg you not to force me to make that choice, but if you do…I just want you to know right now that I'll choose him, and I probably always will," she finished, rather subdued next to the sudden outburst. Her friends gaped at her, horrified and hurt. "I'm sorry--"

"But, Hermione--"

"I can't believe you wo--"

"Don't make this any harder than it has to be!" she cried, squeezing her eyes to keep the tears in, a desperate attempt to stop their pleading from coming. "I'm sorry, but it's a choice that you forced on me. I would much rather have you all. But if you continue with this same hostility and anger towards him, I'm going to have to choose him. I'm sorry."

With one last sad glance over her shoulder at their stunned faces, Hermione turned and left them in her bedroom, staring at her retreating back. She heard them call out to her, but she didn't turn. She couldn't bear to let them see her tears, not after that. She just wanted Draco to hold her, comfort her, tell her it would be all right, but he was at the Ministry looking through the werewolf registration records in an attempt to find Lupin.

Instead, she just settled for grabbing her flute off the kitchen counter and heading toward the garden. That was the one feature that Hermione and Draco had insisted upon when the whole group of them were choosing a flat to share, a garden secluded enough for them to practice in, or to just be alone. A spacious plot of land filled with tiger lilies and purple roses, with walkways and little squares paved in subtle patterns of light grey stones. A few iron benches with velvety cushions sat around a large fountain falling in sparkling tiers to a gently lapping pool, a few small music stands tucked behind them so they could play at their leisure. It really was her favorite aspect of the house.

She sat at her and Draco's usual bench, spreading out some new music on a stand in front of her. Before she began to play, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing on the soft tinkling sound of the water dripping from level to level of the fountain and the musical "plink plink" of the droplets falling into the pool below. Sighing, she studied the music before her and set the metronome to _63_. It was a slow song, lilting gently on the still afternoon air, an almost sorrowful keening that betrayed her inner conflict between her faithful friends her true love.

Technically, the song was meant to be sung and the words along the bottom of the staff were as beautifully poetic and musical as the notes themselves. As she reached the third stanza of the poem-song, she stopped playing but kept reading the words. They spoke to her, filling her heart with an indescribable love and warmth. Smiling, she leaned against the fabric-covered railings of the bench and sighed, closing her eyes contentedly. The song seemed to calm her, at least enough to think the situation out. Harry and Ron were just being overprotective. They didn't really see anything wrong with Draco anymore, and that's why they were acting this way. They didn't want her to leave them for Draco. Now that she had threatened to do just that, it really couldn't have helped the situation any. Either they would cut their disapproval down to a bare minimum, or they would do the opposite and go to the extreme to try and turn her against Draco. She hoped it wouldn't come to that, and pledged to herself to believe in her boyfriend one hundred percent, no matter the evidence against him. After all, evidence could be fabricated, and there were always two suspects with a motive.

As analytical as she was trying to be, so many images of Draco running around in her head were clouding her thoughts. She ended up just picturing him, grinning like a sappy happy dope. His crystal eyes, his small nose, his sweeping hair, his soft lips, everything just intoxicated her. Absentmindedly, she picked a deep purple rose from the bed beside her, sniffing it. It's sweet scent always reminded her of Draco. They were his favorite flower. She went to put the flower back in the bed and two flowers, a rose and a tiger lily, intertwined, growing around and against each other, caught her eye. She grinned at them, relating to them. Her and Draco's favorite flowers depending on each other like their counterparts. Sweet _and _symbolic.

Hermione hesitated on the verge of going back inside and running the risk of seeing Harry and Ron again, facing their pleading, their indignation. _"Maybe I should just go help Draco look for Lupin,"_ she thought, sighing. She returned her flute to her case and stowed it under the bench on the shelf she and Draco had built for their instruments. She stood and, casting a look back at the house, Disaparated. She reappeared in the Ministry Atrium, and slowly worked her way through the various security measures until she was all the way back in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Beasts, Werewolf Subdivision.

Draco was sitting in an office with a homely blonde woman, supposedly the head of department, sifting through mounds of paperwork for all the registered werewolves in the country. Hermione knocked on the open door to announce her presence. Draco looked up, his hair disheveled and falling into his face. He pushed it back and struggled to his feet, smiling at her as he pushed a few piles out of his way to reach her.

"Hey," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "What are you doing here? I thought you were at home," he said, leading her through the maze of files to a deflated arm chair in the nook they were working from.

"Yeah, well, I didn't exactly like the atmosphere," she said evasively. She took the chair and Draco returned to his cramped seat on the dusty floor. He gave her an odd look.

"What do you mean? What was wrong with the atmosphere?" he asked, sounding a bit puzzled. Hermione reached for some of the files, wanting to help out, and began filtering through them looking for Lupin's name.

"Well…I had a bit of a chat with Harry and Ron," she confessed, but didn't volunteer anymore information on the subject.

"Oh? And how'd it go?" he prompted.

"Awful, I guess. I mean, I got my point across, but that didn't make it any easier to say," Hermione said.

"And what exactly was your point?" Draco asked, getting more confused by the minute.

"I told them that if they were trying to make me choose between them and you that I would choose you, and always would," she said quickly. Draco gaped at her.

"What?" he gasped. "Hermione, just because they don't like me doesn't mean they were necessarily trying to make you choose," he insisted.

"But they were. I've known them long enough to be able to tell when they dislike someone for a reason and when it's because they can't find a reason and they just want to," Hermione said. "And this is the latter. They keep bringing up last year, and all of that nasty business, and I guess I can see their point, but that doesn't mean I agree with them. They're trying to convince me that you never changed your ways, even though I keep trying to tell them that you didn't change at all, and then they say that I'm the one that's changed, and they get all dramatic and weird, and I just don't know how to deal with it," she finished. She said all of this in one breath, and stopped only to breathe, then continued.

"I mean, if they're such good friends, they should want me to be happy and able to make my own decisions, but they just keep trying to make them for me and being all overprotective and all of that. But I still don't see why they treat me like a little sister, I'm older than them! I don't understand why they can't let me do what I think is right, and what makes me happy. I guess it makes sense to them, but it doesn't to me and it doesn't to you, right?" she asked, confident that he would agree with her wholeheartedly. There was no way that he wouldn't get her point of view on the subject, no way at all.

"…I'm not sure," Draco said, not looking at her.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, her face falling.

"I don't know, it's just that…I guess they have their reasons. I don't blame them for not liking me. It's not like I've given them much reason to," he said, glancing up to see her reaction. "There is no way I could expect them to trust me right off the bat. I have to earn it, and that will take time. I'm trying to be patient with them, and I think you should too."

Hermione glared at him for a moment, but he didn't look back up. In a huff, she turned back to her search. She wasn't searching, though, just staring at the paper to avoid looking at her boyfriend. An awkward silence filled the room, broken only by the shuffle of papers. Finally, the homely woman spoke, sounding uncomfortable about butting into the problem.

"Sorry to intrude on personal matters," she said, "but maybe you should try getting all of you together at once and talking things out, instead of running back and forth between each other. I've found that to be a more successful tactic." No one responded, so she turned back to her task, but Hermione pondered her words. Maybe it would be more effective to just sit them all down at once and discuss the issue at hand. Or would that just mess things up even more? Oh well, it was worth a shot.

"Okay, there is no point in looking through all of this," Draco said after another twenty minutes of fruitless searching. "It's quite obvious at this point that we're not going to find anything to point us to Lupin." He threw down the stack of files on his lap and stood up, wincing as his cramped muscles stretched.

"Yeah. This is hopeless. There's no way that Lupin would come back to the Ministry to tell everybody where he was going," Hermione sighed, standing up as well, grimacing as her legs began to prickle uncomfortably. "My legs are asleep," she said, stamping them to stimulate blood flow. "Well, I guess we should get back home and talk to the boys," she suggested, though reluctantly.

"Yeah." Draco fought his way through the maze of stacks to the door. "Thanks for your help, Amanda," he called over his shoulder at the woman. She nodded and sat down behind a cluttered desk in the back of the room, looking rather lonely. He took Hermione's hand and Disaparated.

"Okay, guys. I just wanted to get you all together to talk this out rationally. Harry, Ron," Hermione said, turning to face them. They sat, looking stiff and forced, on one couch, with Hermione and Draco sitting on the other. "I don't see why you dislike Draco so much. He doesn't blame you for it, but I would really like to know why you refuse to give him a real chance."

"Because!" Ron said childishly. Hermione gave him a patronizing look, and he pouted at her.

"'Because' is not a sentence, Ronald," she said. "I need reasonable and logical explanations or everything I said this morning is completely valid."

Harry uncrossed his arms and stared shrewdly at them, looking for something. Then he sighed. "Hermione, we're just looking out for you. How can you suddenly think that he's changed his ways, stepped out of the protective little hole his father built for him, become a good guy? It takes more than one summer and a conversation with an old enemy to completely rehabilitate a would-be Death Eater. I'm sorry, but I just don't buy it," he said evenly, leaning back with his hands in his lap. Hermione nodded at him, not happy, but mollified.

"Who would?" Ron demanded loudly. He was leaning forward and glaring heavily at the pair of them. "It's completely ridiculous! People don't change, Hermione, not really. They alter their appearance, the way they act, but they never really change and they will always revert back to the way they were originally. And I'm not taking all this crap about him being forced to do all of that stuff, all of the crap he's been feeding you all year! His excuses are lame and you're still swallowing them!" he yelled accusatorily, standing up and looking on the verge of violence.

"Ron!" Hermione said hotly, her voice carefully controlled. "Sit down and calm yourself before I'm forced to magically sedate you. You know I can, and you know I will," she threatened, no hint of humor in her tone. Ron glared daggers at them both, then sank slowly back into his seat, looking a tad less aggressive, but not a bit less angry. "Alright. You've both had a chance to voice your opinions. Now, it's Draco's turn. Draco," she said, gesturing for him to continue.

He gave both Harry and Ron almost pleading looks. Harry stared stonily back, and Ron rolled his eyes in vexation. "Okay. I know that neither of you like me, or believe that my intentions are anything short of criminal, and I understand why. You've never seen me act anything but malicious towards you, so I don't expect you to trust me, or like me, anytime in the near future. But I do ask that you give me a chance. And not just the lack-of-open-hostility kind--although that would be nice, too--but the kind where you really listen and let me try to earn your trust and friendship," he said, surprising even himself with the sincerity of his tone.

Harry seemed to consider the notion, looking a bit skeptical, but not entirely pessimistic. Ron, on the other hand, was staring at him as though he had suddenly turned purple, grown a horn, and announced that he was a flying platypus from outer space.

"I can't believe that you're even--" Ron shouted, standing up again and turning red in the face with outrage. Immediately, Hermione was on her feet, wand in hand, looking dangerously serious. Ron glared at her in indignation. "And you!" he bellowed at her. "How can you even accept the bullshit coming out of this liar's mouth!"

"Sit down, Ron," she said in a critically quiet voice, her eyes blazing.

"Please, Ron," Draco said earnestly. "I will do anything! Give me veritaserum and ask me anything you want to," he offered. Ron gave him a dubious look.

"Anything?" he asked, malice flashing in his eyes. And even knowing the kinds of things Ron was bound to ask him, Draco nodded. Ron smirked darkly at him. "Alright, then. All of you be back here in a half hour. I'll go get some from Dad, I know he's got a story somewhere." And with that, he Disaparated, leaving Draco to wonder exactly what he had just gotten himself into.


End file.
